The human foot has 26 bones, all mechanically designed to create the machines that move you. The acquired foot problems that Podiatry addresses are met with the integration of art and science. As our feet and shoes aren’t designed for the surfaces we walk on, repetitive wear and tear is unavoidable. Conditions like plantar fasciitis, bunions, bone spurs, and ingrown toenails are all the result of the constant and consistent stress we put on our feet on a daily basis. With the goal of relieving pain, treatment can be done medically, orthopedically, or surgically. It is this integration of art and science that led Dr. O. Christian Hall, D.P.M., to pursue a career in podiatry.
As a pre-med student at Louisiana State University, Hall suffered from hereditary ingrown toenails. It wasn’t until he saw a podiatrist for treatment that he realized what a need there was for this specialty in Baton Rouge. Upon graduating from LSU, Hall earned his degree in podiatric medicine from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine, then completed is residency in Memphis. With his American Board of Podiatric Surgery board certification and membership to the Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, Hall opened his solo practice in Baton Rouge 39 years ago.
The nature of practicing podiatry, and the conditions that it treats is about solving mechanically acquired issues, not traumatically induced problems. In this context, there are few, if any, emergency calls. This provides two things. One, it allows you to have as flexible as a schedule as you’d like. Two, it means that you can have a much longer career; the stress and physical requirements demanded by providing treatment for traumatic injuries takes its toll.
After 30 years of being a solo practitioner, the responsibility of managing every single aspect of the practice, coupled with the transition toward group practice and insurance-based reimbursement, Hall saw the writing on the wall and joined the Bone and Joint Clinic of Baton Rouge. By delivering a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of his patients, Hall, along with his son, Dr. Patrick Hall, D.P.M., provides podiatry services for Baton Rouge patients.
What is the secret, after 39 years, to engaging, helping, and healing patients? Every day Dr. Hall walks in his office he takes nothing for granted. No assumptions are made, and every patient gets the respect they deserve. Hall makes a commitment to explain everything in a way that each specific patient will understand. While that becomes more difficult at 4:30 in the afternoon than it was at 8 in the morning, the commitment to be thorough, to listen, and to be conscientious ensures that every patient gets the best possible treatment.
