A Star Valley Health orthopedic surgeon is telling patients with foot and ankle problems not to put off treatment.

“Don’t hesitate,” Dr. Trask Muir said during an interview on the SVI Radio. “It’s better to come in early, learn what your options are.”

Muir, of Mountain West Orthopedics, said he treats a range of conditions affecting the foot and ankle, including arthritis, bunions, sports injuries, overuse problems and Achilles tendon injuries. He comes to Star Valley about once a month and sees patients at Mountain West Orthopedics through Star Valley Health.

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Orthopedics, he said, is “the treatment of diseases and conditions of the bones, the joints, tendons, ligaments, kind of all the structural stuff, stuff that helps us stand up and move around.”

Most of his work is focused on the lower extremities. “Most of what I do happens down in kind of the foot and ankle area,” he noted, adding that he treats “everything from bunions to smashed ankles.”

Muir said medicine has changed significantly in the 22 years since he graduated from medical school. He pointed to Achilles tendon repair as one example, saying that when he started training, surgeons used a “12 to 14 inch incision” and faced a high complication rate. Now, he shared, he can often repair the tendon through “about a one-inch incision.”

“I can get somebody walking two weeks after a complete Achilles explosion,” he said.

He stressed patients should not wait until a condition becomes more serious because “by the time they put it off and put it off and finally come in, oh gosh, sometimes our options are limited.” Muir emphasized he generally prefers to start with conservative treatment and avoid surgery when possible. “Only if all that fails will we have to go and do surgery,” he said.

Patients can usually schedule directly with Mountain West Orthopedics, though insurance requirements may vary. Muir said appointments can be made by contacting Mountain West Orthopedics or Star Valley Health at 307-485-5670.

He added continuing education is part of the job. “There’s a lot of courses we go to, a lot of meetings, there’s a lot of literature,” he said. “Every year we have to take a test that tests our knowledge of keeping up on the latest literature.”