The first step to enjoying a good exploratory White Plains walkabout necessitates having feat-worthy feet.

Westchester Footcare Center, at 47 Mamaroneck Ave., bears very little resemblance to traditional doctors’ offices. In fact, a passerby’s attention is first captured by the display of stylish men’s and women’s footwear, from casual to dress wear, embellishing the retail storefront window. Yet, Westchester Footcare Center boasts three congenial doctors of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery and a friendly and cheerful support staff. There are also four state-of-the-art treatment rooms, radiology equipment and whirlpool, as well as a full surgical suite. “We intend to continue being the premier podiatric service in Westchester,” said Dr. Howard Blank. Originally from Chicago, Dr. Blank moved to White Plains after his surgical residency and founded Westchester Footcare in 1983. “I’ve always been happy I chose White Plains for my practice. As the center of Westchester and the county seat, it has the distinction of being a destination for so many people and purposes. Our location here in the heart of downtown, with the various mall, street and municipal parking opportunities has also remained a great choice. Since the mega development of downtown began, we’ve seen our business increase in excess of 20 percent each year.”

“That’s partly what drew me here,” co-owner Dr. M. Salim Chowdhury confided. “I graduated from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine in 2000 and then did my surgical residency. I have a tri-state background and wanted a practice that would fit in with my interests in family podiatric medicine and sports medicine. With the baby boomers and young professionals moving here in droves, White Plains has a dynamic atmosphere. I was fortunate to come on board as Howard’s partner two years ago. This is a particularly happy time for me since my son, Ishraq, my first child, was just born Nov. 14.”

The most recent member of the Westchester Footcare group is Dr. Francisco Pizarro, an associate for just over a year. He recently completed his residency at the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn. Although he commutes from Manhattan every day, Dr. Pizarro says he likes it up here: “This practice is first class all the way, better for the doctors and the patients.” Dr. Pizarro, who speaks Spanish, said, “I was most surprised by the numerous nationalities of our patients. I never knew White Plains had people from so many countries. I think it’s as diverse, or even more diverse, than Manhattan. I’m glad to be able to use my Spanish. It feels good to help make people more comfortable.”

Office Manager Melissa Guardiola and Medical Assistant Juan ‘Arces’ Paredes are also good at making patients feel comfortable. Both were educated and still live in Westchester and are fluent in Spanish. Guardiola admitted the best part of her job is “talking to and interacting with the patients” while Paredes said, “I like the fact that it changes every day. There’s always something to learn.”

“You should never take your feet for granted,” Blank stated. “They are the foundation for the entire body. We have families spanning three generations that come to us for foot care. Children should be evaluated at infancy and again at major growth spurt periods, usually at six and 12 years old. We do gait analysis, strength evaluations for participation in sports, spinal alignment, and other diagnoses. We work with endocrinologists whose patients have diabetes, with rheumatologists monitoring gout and arthritis and with chiropodists. In addition we handle the usual things, bone spurs, hammertoes, bunions, heel pain and warts. We also help correct deformities and do bone stimulation therapy which promotes healing at the site of an injury.” Blank also said, “We focus on prevention too and have numerous types of orthotics, special foot lotions and creams. We help fit prosthetics.”

The center also works with local agencies doing pro bono foot health evaluations of the elderly for the Jewish Board of Family Services and development screenings for the children at Linden Hill School. Blank said, “We try to make our services accessible to all. We work as much as possible within the complicated health insurance system. Our fees and merchandise are reasonable and include the expertise of highly trained podiatric physicians.”

Proactive Foot Health Suggestions from Doctors Blank, Chowdhury and Pizarro

1. Recommended for men: Ecco, Rockport, Timberland.
2. Recommended for women: SAS, Easy Spirit.
3. Generally, European made shoes are a more generous cut and often well made.
4. Where to go: Nordstrom’s—they started as a shoe store.
5. Leather uppers are preferable to man-made materials because leather breathes. However, soles and heels of good, durable artificial materials can be better because they absorb compression shock and diffuse shear quite well.
6. Shoes should fit well from the start. However, some do feel better after a little wear. Try wearing new shoes for a few hours over the course of two days at home to maximize all-day comfort while out.
7. Put a little powder in shoes to reduce friction.
8. Shoe shop in the afternoon or evening. Feet swell a bit as the day progresses.
9. Look for comfort, support and cushioning.
10. Men tend to get heel spurs if they gain weight with age. Buy better shoes. They’ll prevent unnecessary pain and last longer.
11. Heels should not be higher than two inches. Higher heels are responsible for many spine and back problems. Heels should not be worn more than 30 percent of the time or they will shorten the calf muscle.
12. Aerobic exercises like running/walking on a treadmill cause you to put five to seven times your total body weight down with each step. Get the best possible shoes and consider alternative exercise such as floor exercises, Pilates or swimming.
13. Many relatively minor problems such as pronation (toes turned out) can be easily avoided if detected early. Know your foot.