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Choosing an Ankle and Foot Center
Posted on 04-29-2026 in Foot/Ankle by Dr. Erik Nilssen
The biggest goal of an ankle and foot center is to restore your foot health and prevent complications that could worsen the condition of your feet. Here at North Florida Bone & Joint Specialists, we aim to analyze and solve foot issues using a multi-disciplinary medical treatment approach. The patient-focused ankle and foot team treats your condition through technology, research, science, and personalized care.
1) Comprehensive Evaluation
As orthopedics in Pensacola physicians and surgeons, we specialize in the foot and ankle while using a full body approach. Our medical school experience and orthopedic residency enable us to offer this full-body approach. In order to provide you with a long-term solution and prevent any reoccurrence, our doctors address the cause of your particular problem, whether it is Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, or another sports or everyday foot or ankle injury.
2) World-Renowned Experience
At our ankle and foot center, you can feel confident knowing that we have over five years of orthopedic surgery residency in North America’s major hospitals. Our patients achieve the best outcomes possible as our surgeons are highly trained and educated medically and surgically.
Our founder, guiding force, and premier orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Nilssen, is fellowship trained in sports medicine under both Dr. James Andrews, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, and in foot and ankle under orthopedic surgeon Dr. Angus McBryde. These dual fellowships enable Dr. Nilssen to integrate these two different approaches into the treatments of North Florida Bone & Joint Specialists patients. As a result, your care and ability to get up and move is streamlined.
Dr. Nilssen is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery and the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society and has to meet specific requirements in order to become a member of these two organizations.
3) Personalized Treatment
We provide individualized patient care and treatment approach. Each patient’s pain, surgery, and treatment plan needs are assessed and carried out individually. Visiting our office, you can expect to be treated as if you were family, and you receive the full attention of your surgeon not only during the procedure but after it as well. This continuum of care approach means that you have dedicated care from the time of diagnosis through full rehabilitation.
4) Modern, Innovative Technology
Our ankle and foot center offers a dedicated:
- Weight Bearing CT Scanner (the first in the area)
- MRI for Extremities
- X-ray Machine
- Durable Medical Equipment Products
- Phreesia Electronic Payment and Check-in Tablets
Check out some of our related posts:
The Right Shoes
Footwear serves several useful functions, including protecting our feet, cushioning our body weight, providing comfort and, of course, adding a fashionable element to our wardrobe choices. However, selecting the proper footwear can also make a difference in your overall foot health. As you consider those fun new kicks, we encourage you to be mindful of how the right type of shoe can help you avoid injury or further exacerbate existing foot and ankle conditions. Specifically, ill-fitting shoes can be painful and cause issues such as bunions, hammertoes, plantar fasciitis, Lisfranc injuries and more.
Treating Ankle Arthritis
May is National Arthritis Awareness Month, and of the more than 100 forms of this painful condition, many can affect the ankle. In fact, almost half of people in their 60s and 70s have arthritis of the foot and/or ankle, but not all of them have symptoms.
On-Site Manufacturing of DME with XO Armor
North Florida Bone & Joint Specialists continues to embrace the healthcare technology revolution by adding custom, on-site manufacturing of durable medical equipment (DME) from XO Armor Technologies.