Good Neighbor Podcast: Pittsburgh
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Good Neighbor Podcast: Pittsburgh
E113: World-Class Foot and Ankle Surgeon Dr.William DeCarbo Shares His Podiatric Expertise
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What makes Dr. William DeCarbo with Greater Pittsburgh Foot & Ankle Center a good neighbor?
Foot and ankle pain can upend your day fast- turning stairs into hurdles and a simple walk into a chore. We sit down with Dr. William DeCarbo, a fellowship-trained foot and ankle surgeon at Greater Pittsburgh Foot and Ankle Center, to demystify what true lower extremity care involves and how to get expert help without wading through hospital red tape.
We dig into the real scope of podiatric surgery: comprehensive musculoskeletal care below the knee, including sprains, fractures, chronic ankle instability, Achilles tendon ruptures, bunions, and flatfoot deformities. Dr. DeCarbo explains his center does not do medical pedicures- this is not cosmetic care or a medical spa- rather, they determine when conservative options like bracing, orthotics, and footwear changes make sense versus when surgery restores function. We also address a gray zone many people face: vascular symptoms like swelling or varicose veins. You’ll hear how a foot and ankle specialist evaluates concerns, then coordinates with vascular surgeons when circulation is the root cause, saving time and easing stress.
Access and communication are this practice’s calling cards. Dr. DeCarbo shares how direct lines to the surgeon- by phone and email- reassure patients through pre-op jitters and post-op questions, often preventing unnecessary ER visits.
His own journey from injured athlete to specialist informs a patient-first approach: the goal might be returning to sport, working a shift without pain, or simply walking comfortably with family. Along the way, we get a lighter look at life outside the OR, including his love for cooking, balance, and community.
If you’ve been living with foot or ankle pain, feel stuck between retail fixes and long hospital waits, or wonder whether your symptoms are structural or vascular, this conversation gives you a clear roadmap. Learn what to watch for, where to start, and how expert, neighborly care can get you moving again. Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show.
To learn more about Greater Pittsburgh Foot & Ankle Center go to:
Greater Pittsburgh Foot & Ankle Center
(724)799-8727
Welcome And Guest Introduction
SPEAKER_01This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lila Carter.
What The Practice Treats
SPEAKER_02Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a foot and ankle specialist? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, William DiCarvo, with the Greater Pittsburgh Foot and Ankle Center. William, how's it going today?
SPEAKER_00Good. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Really appreciate the opportunity.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, thanks for being here. I'm so glad that we can meet virtually here and you didn't have to come into his studio while it's raining cats and dogs outside. So we're excited to learn all about you and your business. Please tell us more about your company.
SPEAKER_00So my name is William DeCarbo. I'm a fellowship trained foot and ankle surgeon, and the company is Greater Pittsburgh Foot and Ankle Center in Wexford, Pennsylvania. We specialize in lower extremity uh issues, whether it be deformity, trauma, acute, chronic, anything that uh pathology happens with foot and ankle is what we handle.
Why He Chose Foot And Ankle
SPEAKER_02Excellent. Wow, what a great resource and a person to have on the show for all of our listeners who are maybe struggling with some mobility concerns. How did you get into this business initially, William?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's a great question. You know, like everything in life, it's multifactorial. I played sports growing up, even though I'm much older, I still consider myself an athlete. My staff doesn't agree with that, but I do. Um, I had a lot of foot and ankle injuries when I was growing up. I played multiple sports, always had my ankles taped. And there's kind of this natural progression towards wanting to help other people the way you are helped growing up. And um, it's common with athletes to get injured and they're seeing musculoskeletal providers. So there's kind of a hand-in-glove moment that kind of hits you that this is something that I can maintain that interest in sports and then that high level of um, you know, giving back to the community and helping others.
Clearing Podiatry Misconceptions
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's very special. I was just gonna say, what a way to give back. Um, are there any myths or maybe misconceptions in this industry that you'd like to speak about today?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, another good question. You know, one of the biggest myths is what a uh podiatric surgeon or podiatrist uh does. And in podiatry, you're a surgical subspecialty of the lower extremity. So you treat soft tissue below the knee and then any bone, ligament, tendon, deformity of the ankle and the uh foot. And that's probably the biggest misconception. This is a surgical subspecialty uh through medical school residency, and then uh some choose to do fellowship.
SPEAKER_02Interesting. I have heard of the term like a medical pedicure. Is that something that you would do or another kind of specialist?
Not Cosmetic: True Musculoskeletal Care
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's a good question. We don't do anything cosmetic or medical from that standpoint of a uh cosmetic. We do everything is musculoskeletal injury. So if you think of you sprained your ankle, broke your ankle, tore your Achilles tendon, you have a bunion deformity, you have a flat foot deformity, these are the things that we specialize in. So it's not a medical spa per se, it's a uh medical surgical practice.
Who They Help And How They Reach Them
SPEAKER_02Gotcha. Excellent. And so as we're thinking about reaching your target audience and marketing to them, who are your current target customers and how are you attracting them to the business?
SPEAKER_00Yes, uh, it's really anybody with foot or ankle pain. And that could be chronic pain that you've had for years from injury, that could be acute issues, like you know, weekend warrior and you sprained your ankle or you tore your Achilles tendon, you know, these sorts of things. So it's really any foot and ankle issue that you seek a medical professional, uh doctor to see, that's what we treat.
Vascular Concerns And Referrals
SPEAKER_02Excellent. Yeah, I I know that a lot of women have concerns with like veins and circulation in their legs as well, whenever you have especially high arches and walking in high heels. Um so is that kind of a side effect that one would look out for whenever they're thinking about, hey, maybe I should seek out someone in the specialty?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so any vascular issues, we can certainly assess that, but if it's a true vascular issue, such as varicus veins or vascular insufficiency or even arterial insufficiency, we'd send to the specialist of a vascular surgeon, and the vascular surgeons kind of handle that from a long-term uh standpoint. We may recognize that, or patients may come in concerned, not know where to go. And as a foot and ankle specialist, we can certainly direct them into the appropriate direction.
Idea Of A Future Podcast
SPEAKER_02Very good. Yeah, I would think that some of that might originate with the arch support and things like that, um, and getting the right kind of shoe on your foot, certainly. Um, have you ever thought about maybe doing your own podcast to talk about all things foot and ankle?
Life Outside The OR: Cooking
SPEAKER_00Uh, it's a great idea. Uh, we I've have a buddy of mine that I work with at the surgery center. We talked about a jovial podcast, you know, just in tongue-in-cheek, but I never thought of an actual foot and ankle podcast, but I'd be open to that. That seems like a great idea.
SPEAKER_02You could probably uh rope in some humor as well to the foot and ankle podcast and make it a little humorous as well. So, outside of work, William, what do you do for fun?
SPEAKER_00Well, I'm Italian. Italians love to eat and love to cook. So I would say that uh probably my passion outside of this is cooking. I really enjoy that. I'll try to cook anything, but especially Italian food seems to make me the happiest.
What Sets Their Care Apart
SPEAKER_02Very good. Yeah, one of the guests that we had previously on the show um was Viviana Altieri of Instituto dei Mondo Italiano, and she hosts cooking classes there. So if you've never been, you should definitely check that out.
SPEAKER_00I'll look that up. That's great advice.
SPEAKER_02It's a great cultural hub there as well. Um, so William, please tell our listeners one thing that they should remember about Greater Pittsburgh Foot and Ankle Center.
How To Learn More And Closing
SPEAKER_00Yeah, one of the things about Greater Pittsburgh Foot and Ankle Center that we pride ourselves on is you get world-class care and foot and ankle care, but it is that neighbor and homey feel. We have instant access, you know, we answer our own phones, we call the patient back. Uh, our surgical patients have access to us, whether it be by cell phone, email, or office phone. And we really want if a patient comes to us and they have a need and especially surgical need, we want them to have access. A lot of times, people are having surgery or a condition that they're dealing with. It's the first time in their life. For us, you know, it may be the 10,000th time that we've dealt with something like that. And there's a lot of questions and a lot of apprehension and even nervousness that comes with that. And we want patients to know they can access us instantly, any time of day or night, and they'll get an answer. And that that really sets us apart uh from some of the bigger uh uh groups or hospital groups, where there's there's all these layers of kind of bureaucracy that that go through. I'm not saying that's good or bad. I'm just saying with us, you have you have an easier road, so to speak.
SPEAKER_02Um yeah, and that personal level of support, I think that's so important in healthcare, um, to feel like you're being listened to and that your pain is understood by someone. So thank you for what you're doing for the community, Doctor.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_02How can our listeners learn more about Greater Pittsburgh Foot and Ankle Center?
SPEAKER_00So our website is gpfootankle.com, and that's really the best way. You can, you know, look up pathologies we treat, look at our bios, you know, and and how we've come to the training and different uh um offerings that we have from a medical and surgical standpoint, and then obviously our phone number and everything's on there as well. So gpfootankle.com is probably the best way to get to us.
SPEAKER_02Excellent. Well, Dr. William DeCarbo, I very much appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the very best moving forward.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Appreciate the time today.
SPEAKER_01Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnppittsburgh.com. That's gnppittsburgh.com or call 412 561 9956.