Painful arthritic ankles and traumatic injuries to bones, ligaments or tendons can definitely sideline many people. Life is hobbled when it’s difficult to walk across the room or even to the end of the block.

Getting people up and moving again is a passion for Kevin Miller, D.P.M., podiatrist for NorthBay Health, who said the best part of his job is when a patient walks in with pain but walks out with a plan to fix it.

That’s what Dr. Miller has been doing for Solano County residents with foot and ankle issues since he helped establish Podiatry services for NorthBay in 2016. The program has flourished, and recently expanded to include a second podiatrist — Austin Vonasek, D.P.M., who specializes in trauma and deformity repair.

The most common conditions the podiatry team deals with involve the diabetic foot and wound care. “With diabetic foot care, my main goal is amputation prevention,” Dr. Miller noted. “I work directly with primary care providers and wound care to achieve this goal.”

But his most rewarding task is ankle replacement. “It’s really a life-changing surgery for some people,” he said.