Petko M. James , DPM

When my daughter was suffering from a sudden foot pain from a sports injury, Dr. Petko was available to see her the same day I called (right before the Christmas holidays) and diagnosed the problem as a stress fracture. He was very cautious and careful to make sure he had isolated the area of the fracture and made sure he ruled other more severe problems. He took xrays, put her in a boot and gave her very strict but sound advice about sticking to the treatment plan and discontinuing sports and impact exercises. His appts. always run on time and his nurse is very thorough and professional, too. It’s not a «factory» at his office, but I think that is his preference to remain a small operation. And frankly, it’s a nice change from many of the other Dr’s we go to that are rushed, have an overflowing waiting room with little to no time for personal attention. Although he doesn’t have the most bubbly personality (what podiatrists do?), he thoroughly evaluates each patient and their symptoms, etc. The office is very clean and they are very good at fitting people in at the last minute or when you have to change your originally scheduled appt. time.

I would recommend Dr. James Petko/​The Sole Doctor for professional foot care. I was given Dr. Petko’s name by a running friend because of persistent pain in my heel. I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis which is a common injury with runners. Unfortunately it’s not that easy to get rid of. I tried some home remedies that I read on the internet for several weeks but without much success. After seeing Dr. Petko, he explained biomechanically why I was susceptible to the injury and proceeded to outline a conservative treatment program for getting me better. With some exercises and shoe recommendations I started to see progress right from the get-​go. I think this guy is right on. He takes his time explaining things and he really listens. I also liked the fact that he is a runner. I would definitely recommend him.

Went to Dr. Petko for plantar warts. I was pregnant and the dermatologist could not remove them! I had 2 rounds of surgeries and had a 0% success rate. Luckily he referred me to Dr. Halivus.

I can’t tell you how saddened I am to write this review. I went to see Dr. Petko on several occasions for issues relating to my feet. I paid for the inserts, paid for the cortisone shots and therapy. I did this all out of network because I figured that as a runner, he would know feet.
My pain didn’t heal. At all. I still walk around with pain in my several hundred dollar inserts.
Then, a few months later, I get a bill saying that I still owe money that my insurance didn’t pay. I told the woman, very nicely, that while the cost was not much, I couldn’t pay for something that I didn’t receive: good medical care. Well, she disagreed and sent me to a collections agency.
I was taken aback by this. Truly taken aback. If a patient says, «I still hurt,» should the doctor call you back to see what was wrong?
If I wanted cortisone shots, I would have just gone in network. Not out of network to be taken to a collections agency. Shameful business practice and I will, in case you guessed, never be back.

Dr. Petko specializes in sports (particularly running) injuries. Some dummy had stomped on my foot with his cleat during a flag football game and I had a huge knot on my toe for months. Since it didn’t go away, I decided to pay the «Sole Doctor» a visit. Don’t let his stoic demeanor fool you. He was very knowledeable and thorough with his evaluation. He even x-​rayed me two times to ensure nothing was wrong. He even gave me extra bandages to wrap my toe with. His nurses were also very nice and helpful — highly recommended.