Coming home.
That's how Victoria Melhuish, M.D., sees her practice's expansion to the Nevada state capital.
Dr. Melhuish is a long-time Carson City resident, who has practiced podiatry and specialized orthopedics in the Carson Valley for more than 20 years while living in the capital city.
She opened her own practice, Sierra Foot and Ankle, in Gardnerville 16 years ago.
"I started my clinic in Gardnerville, because that's where I started working for other entities," Dr. Melhuish said. "But I have always lived in Carson City."
When the board-certified orthopedic surgeon decided to expand her practice this year, she knew she wanted to invest in something much closer to home.
"I wanted to expand the practice, and I knew the way to expand it was in Carson City," Dr. Melhuish said. "There's going to be a lot of growth, and Carson's the anchor. I also wanted to work close to home, too."
She invested in a 6,205 square-foot building located in the shopping center at 2350 South Carson Street and moved the anchor of her practice here in May of this year.
"If I was going to buy and build something as an anchor, I wanted it to be in my hometown of Carson City," Dr. Melhuish said.
As a podiatrist, Dr. Melhuish does more than treat conditions of the foot and ankle. She believes in taking a wellness approach that is whole-patient centered.
"I want to treat for wellness and make peoples' lives better," she said. "My grandmother lived as long as she did because she had a podiatrist. That podiatrist kept her on her feet, in her home, and living independently until the day she died."
Dr. Melhuish said she developed an interest in podiatry while studing at medical school. As an athlete herself, she understood the link between healthy feet and a healthy body.
"My love of podiatry is to keep people on their feet, keeping them walking, running and outdoors," she said. "I love the outdoors, and that definitely became part of my passion."
Dr. Melhuish said many structural problems with the body begin with the feet, so treating the earth pads with better care can lead to better musculoskeletal health.
This often means having the right orthotic devices in shoes to give proper support and comfort, she said.
"My specialty is orthotics, and I take a lot of care to make them," she said. "That simple device is something that realigns the whole body and skeletal system. To keep people walking and doing the things they love to do is my goal."
Although Dr. Melhuish is a surgeon with plenty of operating room experience, she prefers to take preventative measures that can keep people away from the knife whenever possible.
"So many things can be done here to keep them out of the operating room," she said.
Orthotics, for one.
Dr. Melhuish said that while she can make custom-designed orthotics, she also fixes a lot more existing orthotic inserts so that they fit correctly and give proper support.
"Our approach to orthothics is rather unique," she said. "We have an orthotics lab, where we can build certain things here, and then I can take things and make them fit."
Poor fit is the root cause of many foot problems stemming from improper or incorrect shoe inserts, Dr. Melhuish said.
"That's always been the problem with orthotics," she said. "They are either too big for the shoe or something's not right with them."
At her orthotics lab, though, Dr. Melhuish can analyze a patient's foot and break down the orthotic insert to ensure it is fixed to provide maximum support, posture and comfort.
"They are so powerful when they are done right," she said. "Our approach to using orthotic therapy and having the lab is really unique. We dial them in and stand by these products."
Sierra Foot and Ankle in Carson City also boasts the latest digital x-ray imaging on site, as well as ultrasound and state-of-the-art laser technology that is not found anywhere else in the area, the doctor said.
The office's newest laser technology is cutting edge, featuring a robotic arm that is designed specifically for musculoskeletal care.
Another laser in the office is a pinpoint machine used to treat toenail fungus, she said.
"Carson seemed like a natural place to bring something that is not in the area," Dr. Melhuish said. "Lasers aren't around here. Nobody has the cutting edge."
Sierra Foot and Ankle is general practice podiatry, the doctor said, so she doesn't specialize in treating athletes. Her office also accepts most insurance plans, including Medicare.
"I've worked very hard not to close my practice to Medicare," she said. "It's a philosophical thing that I just don't want to do. We make that an important aspect."
Currently, Dr. Melhuish is in her Carson City office two days per week, on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. She is also available limited hours on Mondays from 1 to 3 p.m.
For more information about Sierra Foot and Ankle, or to make an appointment, call 775-783-8037 or visit the clinic's web site here.