For patients
Patient resources
Practical information for your visit, your insurance, your surgery and your records — plus trusted sources if you’d like to read more.
Preparing for your visit
Bring photo ID, your insurance card, a medication list, reports (and, if you can, images) from previous X-rays, CT scans or MRIs, reports from previous foot and ankle surgery, and the shoes you wear most often. Our what to expect page walks through the whole visit.
If you’re having surgery
Our guides explain how to get ready and what recovery involves. See preparing for foot and ankle surgery and recovery after foot and ankle surgery. Your surgeon’s team will give you specific instructions for your operation, including when to stop eating and drinking, which medicines to take, and how much weight you may put on the foot. Those instructions always take priority over general information.
Some plans require authorization before surgery. Your insurance carrier can tell you what your plan requires, and our office can help when you call.
Insurance and referrals
Ozturk Foot & Ankle participates with many major insurance plans. Coverage varies by plan and service. Please contact our office or your insurance carrier to confirm benefits before your visit.
Some plans require a referral from your primary care physician before a specialist visit. If you’re unsure, check with your insurance carrier or call us at 908-215-5953.
Forms
Our office will let you know which new-patient forms to complete, and how, when you schedule your appointment.
Sharing records safely
The best ways to share previous records are to bring them to your visit or to ask your previous doctor’s office to fax them to 908-446-2575.
Read our website privacy policy. Ozturk Foot & Ankle’s Notice of Privacy Practices explains how your health information is used and protected; ask our office for a copy.
Glossary
- Arthrodesis (fusion)
- Surgery that joins the bones on either side of a painful joint so that they heal into one, and the joint no longer moves.
- Arthroplasty
- Surgery that reshapes a joint or replaces its surfaces. Total ankle arthroplasty is an ankle replacement.
- Arthroscopy
- A procedure in which a small camera and instruments are placed inside a joint through tiny incisions.
- Bunion (hallux valgus)
- A bony bump at the base of the big toe, where the toe angles toward the second toe.
- Cheilectomy
- An operation that removes bone spurs from the top of the big toe joint in hallux rigidus.
- Malunion and nonunion
- A bone that heals in the wrong position (malunion) or fails to heal (nonunion).
- Metatarsals
- The five long bones of the forefoot, between the ankle bones and the toes.
- Offloading
- Taking pressure off an area of the foot, for example with a boot or cast, so that an ulcer or injury can heal.
- Orthotic
- A custom or ready-made insert or brace that supports or realigns the foot or ankle.
- Osteotomy
- A planned cut in a bone so that it can be shifted or realigned and then held with screws, plates or wires.
- Plantar fascia
- The thick band of tissue on the sole that runs from the heel bone to the toes and supports the arch.
- Syndesmosis
- The ligaments that hold the two bones of the lower leg together just above the ankle joint.
- Tendon transfer
- Moving a healthy tendon to take over the job of a damaged or weak one.
- Weight-bearing
- Putting your body weight on the foot. Your surgeon may ask you to be non-weight-bearing or partial weight-bearing for a period after surgery.
Trusted reading
These independent organizations publish reliable, patient-friendly information. They are not affiliated with our practice.
- Foot and ankle conditions, treatments and recovery (external site)American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons — OrthoInfo
- Patient information on conditions and surgery (external site)American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons — FootHealthFacts
- Foot injuries and disorders (external site)MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- Ankle injuries and disorders (external site)MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- Diabetes and foot problems (external site)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Ankle fractures (broken ankle) (external site)American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons — OrthoInfo
Appointments
Talk with us about your foot or ankle
An evaluation can clarify what’s causing your symptoms and what your options are — starting with non-surgical care whenever that’s appropriate, and discussing surgery only when it makes sense for you.