When we critically look at the differences in various disciplines performing foot and ankle surgery, one fact clearly stands out in identifying the unique qualities of a Podiatric Surgeon.

Biomechanics has long been appreciated by exciting thinkers and innovators such as — Root, Wed, Orien, Sgarlato et al. I have long felt that to be a great surgeon, numerous skills sets are necessary. Certainly basic and advanced training, good hands, ability, dimensional appreciation, knowledge of instrumentation and technology and the ability to interpret diagnostic tests.

However, the key ingredient along with the above is that of a true understanding of biomechanics. Static and dynamic understanding of lower extremity function is critical for proper outcomes. Functional demands which are unique to each individual must be understood to determine appropriate procedures of given deformities...read the full article.

Do you agree that a firm knowledge of foot-mechanics is essential for a foot surgeon?

Never truer words have been written. I am constantly amazed at the surgical failures that come into my office by other individuals (many in other disciplines of medicine and few in our own....) where there was no pre-surgical consideration or post-surgical consideration for a procedure that was performed. Many may involve the modification or refabrication of a custom orthotic  to address the expected compensatory foot function after certain procedures.
I remember one instance when being questioned by a resident why I was electing to perform a closing base osteotomy of the first metatarsal as part of a bunion correction instead of a Lapidus procedure... I inquired why the resident would have selected a Lapidus procedure in this instance? The answer I gotten was truly stunning...."because we do alot of them." When I then asked the resident if the patient demonstrated a hypermobile first ray with fault development between the first metatarsal-medial cuneiform articulation, demonstrated a high angular deformity of the first metatarsal-medial cuneiform articulation, the presence of an accessory ossicle between the first and second metatarsal bases contributing to the deformity or previous trauma history/subluxation/dislocation of the first metatarsal-medial cuneiform articular from a previous Lisfranc fracture.....the resident had gotten the point.  Failure to apply biomechanics as part of your surgical pre-planning invites surgical failures/recurrences in most instances, in my opinion. Thank you Dr. Schoenhaus...I still take your lessons in my practice to this day.

Dr. Shoenhaus's leadership will set new standards for surgical podiatry which focuses on what separates us from the foot and ankle surgery pack, Biomechanics!

I wish to add to this one additional thought and that is what separates nonoperative podiatry from the rest of the pack, Biomechanics!
Offloading wounds.
Closed Chain Pathology
Growth, developmental and postural pathology
Our foundational education in Functional Lower Extremity Biomechanics makes us the best.

Biomechanics makes the podiatric surgeon and the nonoperative podiatrist valuable and necessary to society and the foot suffering public.    

Such wisdom and this separates the mediocre surgeon from the great surgeon. And this knowledge even separates the chip & clipper from the podiatric physician.

As a DPM who has trained many residents and students I was aways amazed when one would come out of a patient's room to present and would try to tell me "It's only callouses." I would then ask what caused the callouses, only to be met with the infamous "deer in the headlights" look. Maybe I would eventually get an answer such as "hallux limitus."

Okay, that's a diagnosis, what caused it. By now the student or resident wanted to run, just debride the lesions and get on to the next patient. But I would dangle the word "surgery" in front of them by saying "Isn't hallux limitus a surgical diagnosis?" Then they were interested again! 

At the student/resident level they have tunnel vision and we, their mentors, have made it so. It is our responsibility to widen their vision. One of my mentors put it best. He said "I can train a chimpanzee to perform an osteotomy. I cannot  teach him how to evaluate for which osteotomy is required. That takes a scientist's mind - not a monkey's."

I agree.