Using the Newest Techniques

It’s not in his nature to feel helpless. When Dr. Eduardo Montes meets with a patient, it is his enthusiasm and warm personality that immediately conveys a confidence that the problem is going to be solved. Now 12 years in Sierra Vista, Dr. Montes hails from Miami where he completed his primary podiatric residency at Cedars Medical Center, before coming to Phoenix and finishing a surgical residency at St. Luke’s Medical Center. For most in the rofession, accomplishing the level of surgeon is the pinnacle of achievement, representing the culmination of an academic and occupational journey that takes more than a decade to complete. Not for Eddie Montes. Offered an opportunity to attend a three-day seminar hosted by an elite association of extremity nerve surgeons, Dr. Montes has subsequently learned the newest techniques and technology in peripheral nerve surgery, empowering him to offer patients complete recovery from conditions that previously were physically limiting.

“It was amazing to see what can be done,” Montes said. “This group of surgeons are practicing procedures that allow people to regain the use of their lower extremities, for conditions that were once thought only treatable through a prescription and only offered limited recovery.” Being able to help people regain feeling in their lower legs, or walk without dragging a foot, or recover from other podiatric conditions has inspired Montes to a new level in his profession. “I was honored to be invited, and it was very impressive to meet and work with Dr. Robert Parker,” Montes said.

Dr. Parker, the first board certified podiatric surgeon by examination in Houston, and a former examiner on the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, is the president of the extremity nerve surgeons association. In his opening remarks at the three-day course, Dr. Parker was clear that few surgeons pursue the intense training necessary to learn the latest techniques in podiatric surgery. “Many feel like the old adage that learning all of this information is

like ‘drinking out of a fire hose,’ but I can assure you that if you stick with it, and if you persevere, it will be well-worth your time, effort and expense,” Dr. Parker told the group. That introduction, and Dr. Parker’s expression of his satisfaction helping patients, was all Montes needed for motivation. “I had no clue how much I would enjoy hearing the positive feedback from patients that we have helped over the years,” Dr. Parker said. Practicing on cadavers, Dr. Montes and some of the attending surgeons — a group that included