Preparing for your visit

Your first visit with Dr. Stephanie Tine at Flamingo Foot & Ankle in Fort Lauderdale is built around figuring out what is actually going on with your foot or ankle before anything else happens. Dr. Tine's practice covers a wide range, from sports injuries to reconstructive concerns to the kind of bunion and hammertoe correction that can often be handled through smaller incisions, so the first visit is about placing your situation correctly, not jumping to a fix.

Bring a list of your current medications, any imaging you already have (X-rays, an MRI report, or a disc if you have one), and the shoes you wear most for work or activity. If your visit is about a sports injury, bring the footwear you were wearing when it happened, if you still have it. If another provider has already seen you for this problem, their notes help avoid repeating tests.

The visit starts with a conversation: when the problem started, what makes it better or worse, and what you are trying to get back to, whether that is training again, standing comfortably through a work shift, or just walking without pain. Dr. Tine completed a three-year foot and ankle surgical residency at Adventist Health White Memorial in Los Angeles, where she served as chief resident, and her exam draws on that full range: a look at how you walk and bear weight, a hands-on exam of the area involved, and imaging in the office when it is needed to see the bone and joint structure clearly.

If your visit is sports-related, expect questions about your activity, training load, and how the injury happened. If it touches on a structural or reconstructive concern, such as bunion or hammertoe alignment, expect a closer look at how your foot moves and bears weight, since that is what shapes whether bracing, an in-office treatment, or a surgical option makes sense.

Before you leave, you will have a plan. That might be a conservative course to start at home, an in-office option such as shockwave therapy or an injection for pain, a referral for additional imaging, or a conversation about surgical options if conservative care will not be enough on its own. Nothing is decided in the first few minutes, and the plan is built around what the exam actually shows, not a standard script.

Dr. Tine is accepting new patients. If you are new to the practice and have wondered what a podiatrist's training actually covers, our page on what a DPM is lays that out before your visit.

If you are not sure whether your concern needs an appointment, call the office and describe it. Someone on the team can help you figure out timing and whether there is anything specific to bring for your situation.

This page is for general information and does not replace an evaluation by Dr. Tine or her care team.