If the big toe that made an intimate acquaintance with an end table is still painful after a week or two, podiatrist Erik Ouderkirk reminds those who are stoic that continuing to walk on it may cause additional problems.

“Most of the time the pain goes away, but it’s not a good idea to wait too long to have it looked at. You should wait only a week or two,” said podiatrist Erik Ouderkirk at Colorado Clinics for the Foot and Ankle, 2373 Central Park Blvd. “Inflammation should be healing up in four to five days. You don’t want to limp around on that foot. It’ll make it worse. It’s always the men who are waiting the longest, and it’s their significant others who are pulling them in to see me.”

“I treat everyone from kids to the elderly,” he explained. “If you have a foot or ankle pain or deformity or question, we can help you with that. We see trauma of the foot and lots of sports injuries. We see young professionals and their families. As a podiatrist, I’m going to see all the not-so-pretty stuff like diabetic ulcers, skin issues and the difficult things that the elderly put up with from their feet. At Stapleton, we see all the recreational moms and dads, and they bring in their kids with ingrown toenails and flat feet, as well as their elderly grandparents.”

Ouderkirk is familiar with active families. He and his wife, Dana, are avid mountain bikers and have 7-year-old twins, Elizabeth and Johanna, who love gymnastics. The family currently is “dabbling” in indoor rock climbing.

“Flat feet deformity in kids is common. And we see everything from heel pain to sports injuries. We don’t see babies, but we have great experience with young children from about 6 years old. We work on foot, ankle and lower leg problems, providing conservative and surgical treatments of the foot and ankle.”

Not every problem of the foot and ankle should require surgery, according to Ouderkirk.

“I’m very conservative,” he said. “We will exhaust conservative care before we try surgical options. We focus on trying to keep you moving. Times are tough and we try to keep you at work. We focus on educating you and understanding what’s wrong with your foot because that helps me make you better. My patients understand why I’m treating them a certain way, and that speeds up their recovery period.”

Ouderkirk grew up in Boise, Idaho. After his podiatry residency at Scholl College in Chicago, he moved to Denver and started his own practice in 2002.

For an appointment, call 303.577.0110 or go to www.cofootdoc.com where you can leave a specific appointment request and Candess or Jackie will set you up.

Podiatrist Erik Ouderkirk examines a patient at Colorado Clinics for the Foot and Ankle’s new location in Stapleton, 2373 Central Park Blvd. Front Porch photo by Laura Mahony