THIS DOCTOR SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PRACTICE MEDICINE.
I went to Dr. Nellermoe to be treated for foot pain. He examined my feet and could find nothing wrong with them. He then asked me to walk down the hallway and back so that he could observe my stride. He told me that he felt my gait was pronated, and may be suffering from arthritis, and said that the way to fix the problem was with orthotics. He pressed my feet into a foam mold and collected a $150 deposit and said the orthotics would be ready in three weeks. He took no x-rays and gave me nothing to wear while I was waiting for them to arrive.
After waiting three weeks, I went in to pick up the orthotics. They were horribly uncomfortable. It felt as though I was walking on a pair of cue balls. I told him that it was difficult to walk on them and he claimed that this was normal and that my feet would eventually adjust.
I wore the orthotics for a couple of hours after leaving Nellermoe's office and the pain was unbearable. I decided to seek a 2nd opinion. I scheduled appointments with two other podiatrists, one located at the Polyclinic in Seattle and one in Tacoma. I also made an appointment with a physical therapist. The first doctor immediately took x-rays of my feet. Both of the podiatrists I saw told me they saw absolutely no evidence of arthritis. Both doctors and the physical therapist agreed that the problem was a result NOT of over-pronation or arthritis but of tight calf muscles and a probable stress fracture in my sesamoid (small bone in the ball of the foot). They both agreed, as did my physical therapist, that the proper treatment involved not some magic pair of orthotics, but stretching, strengthening, and physical therapy. Dr. Nellermoe never recommended any stretching or strengthening exercises, and said nothing about physical therapy.
In addition, the podiatrists at the Polyclinic and Pacific Podiatry Group found the orthotics that Nellermoe made to be much too rigid. I was told that the arch that Nellermoe had put in the orthotics was too high, and that they had no metatarsal support, which both doctors felt was critical to take the pressure off the ball of my foot and allow it to heal. The doctor at the Polyclinic made orthotics for me while I waited and I walked out of the office wearing them the same day. I have been wearing them for a week now, and doing the stretching exercises he recommended, and my pain has almost completely gone away.
I was charged $600 by Nellermoe for the defective orthotics he ordered for me. Nellermoe never told me what they would cost. I called Dr. Nellermoe's office to ask for a refund and they refused, saying "we don't give refunds".
Dr. Nellermoe is a very friendly, and outwardly confident doctor, with an appealing bedside manner. I can understand why patients like him. But he is incompetent, and I fear he is doing more harm than good.
UPDATE: After threatening to take him to court, Dr. Nellermoe offered to grant me a full refund on the cost of the orthotics.
2ND UPDATE: Shortly after writing this review I went to see a 3rd podiatrist, Dr. Richard Bouche, at the University of Washington Sports Medicine Clinic. Dr. Bouche has been practicing medicine for 34 years, serves as Special Editor (Sports Medicine) for the Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery, and is former President of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. His diagnosis was generally consistent with those I received from the Polyclinic and Pacific Podiatry Group. He also examined the orthotics that Nellermoe made, shook his head and cursed, and advised me not to wear them. read more