An Interview with Dr. Elton
Dr. John Paul Elton has been a physician for sixteen years and joined Vail Summit Orthopaedics in 2011. A native of Greeley, Colorado, Dr. Elton is “thrilled to be practicing in Colorado” after a stint on the east coast completing his foot & ankle fellowship at Harvard University.
Dr. Elton specializes in treating disorders of the lower extremities, specifically of the foot and ankle. “That sounds like a pretty narrow focus, but really, I treat everything from bunions and hammertoes, to complex ankle problems, to traumatic injuries of the entire lower limb,” he said.
We asked Dr. Elton to tell us a little bit about himself, and answer some “common foot and ankle” questions.
Q: How/why did you get into your chosen field?
Dr. Elton: Orthopaedics has gotten very specialized over the past couple of decades, and most orthpaedists now elect to pursue an additional year of training for a specific region of the body. I chose to specialize in the foot and ankle field because it allows me to treat often complex problems across a wide age range.
Anyone from toddlers just learning to walk, to seniors trying to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle can have problems with their feet or ankles. I really enjoy the diversity and the challenge that this brings to treating a patient in my clinic.
Q: What are you excited about in the world of medicine right now?
Dr. Elton: Joint replacement in the hips and knees has been quite successful for decades. Only much more recently have we learned to understand the biomechanics of the ankle and developed safe implants for its replacement.
We are now able to replace the ankle joint with much more confidence in long-term success. I believe that our knowledge and expertise in ankle replacement will continue to expand and allow people to continue enjoying an active lifestyle.
Q: How are you different from other orthopaedists?
Dr. Elton: As a physician treating a patient, potentially with surgery, it is important to first establish trust between myself and my patients. We will be working together to get them back on their feet and feeling good, and this all starts with earning each other’s trust.
In order to do this, it is very important to take all the time that is necessary to listen to what the problem is and how is has come to be. Patients are the best advocates for their own health, so it is important to empower them to help themselves get healthy again, and the only way to do this is to take the time to explain their diagnosis and make sure that I answer all of their questions.
Q: Tell us a little about your background, education and experience.
Dr. Elton: I grew up in Greeley and received my undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Colorado. After medical school I completed my training in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, Texas. Finally, I spent an additional year of fellowship training specifically for foot and ankle surgery, at Harvard, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
Q: What philosophy do you follow in dealing with your patients? What can your patients expect from you?
Dr. Elton: I believe that it is important to treat the patient as a whole, rather than simply the injury. People are pretty complex, and in order to have a good outcome it is necessary to understand how that injury fits into the patient’s life as a whole.
For example, the approach to treating ankle arthritis in a masters ski racer would be quite different than treating ankle arthritis in someone who doesn’t mind spending most of the day in the lodge.
I also believe that conservative treatment is the first, and many times, the best approach. Most problems in the foot and ankle can be treated without surgery, and that may mean that patients can have a good outcome with a brace or some therapy.
That being said, sometimes the injury necessitates surgery, and in these instances, I take the time to make sure that the patient understands the injury and what to expect with surgery.
Q: What’s the No. 1 thing people should do to be healthy?
Dr Elton: Keep active in whatever way you can.
(this interview originally appeared in the Vail Daily News)