It's tough to find the right sports doctor (so many of them call themselves that nowadays). I was very fortunate that my first pode was a REAL sports doc.

He was the podiatrist for Team 7-11, and currently is the official team doc for the FIFA World Cup players and the Tour of California riders. It's such a relief that the clinic where he works allows him to collaborate with other specialists. And it was quite a shock to see four world-class surgeons getting together to discuss my lil' old case when they're used to dealing with the guys you see on ESPN. The staff kinesiologist and chiropractor weighed in as well.

Incidentally, their conclusion was the opposite of every other doc I had met with prior to them. They were the only ones who said that surgery was useless. They diagnosed my knee pain as a symptom of a primary foot imbalance, caused by a genetic weakness. All the other doctors who wanted to immediately slice into my knee for "exploratory reasons" were just blindly guessing. I feel very fortunate that I was referred to them (and that they took my insurance!)

Not all sports doctors are created equal. When you find a good one, spread the word!