Medically reviewed by Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM
Board-certified podiatric surgeon | Balance Foot & Ankle, Howell & Bloomfield Hills, MI
Last reviewed: May 2026
Balance Foot & Ankle offers same-day appointments for urgent foot and ankle conditions across Southeast Michigan — but the most important factor in outcomes isn’t getting seen quickly. Our podiatrists explain what to do in the first 24-48 hours before your appointment that most patients skip entirely. Call (810) 206-1402 — expert podiatric care across Michigan.
Medically Reviewed | Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM | Board-Certified Podiatric Surgeon | Balance Foot & Ankle, Michigan
The most important clinical decision with Podiatrist Charlevoix County Michigan Foot Ankle isn’t which treatment to start with — it’s identifying the correct subtype. That changes everything. Call (810) 206-1402.
Podiatric Care for Charlevoix County, Michigan
Charlevoix County occupies a distinctive stretch of northern Michigan between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix — one of the state’s most celebrated inland lakes. The county seat of Charlevoix sits where Lake Charlevoix connects to Lake Michigan via a narrow channel, creating the distinctive “round lake” that defines the city’s character. Inland, Boyne City anchors the southern Lake Charlevoix shoreline, and East Jordan sits at the lake’s southern end. In the hills above, Boyne Falls is home to Boyne Mountain Resort — one of Michigan’s premier four-season destination resorts and a major contributor to the county’s sports medicine patient population.
For residents of Charlevoix County, specialty medical access requires traveling south — and for complex foot and ankle problems, Balance Foot & Ankle provides the level of care worth the drive. Dr. Tom Biernacki is a board-certified podiatric physician and surgeon with expertise in biomechanical assessment, diabetic foot care, sports and recreation injuries, and surgical correction of foot and ankle conditions.
Boyne Mountain and the Ski Community: Specific Foot and Ankle Demands
Boyne Mountain Resort is the largest ski and outdoor recreation destination in Charlevoix County, drawing skiers and snowboarders from across the Midwest throughout the winter season. Alpine skiing generates a distinctive pattern of foot and ankle injuries and conditions that we see regularly from northern Michigan ski communities.
Ski boots are mechanically unusual footwear: they hold the ankle in significant dorsiflexion throughout the skiing position, transmit forces directly to the tibia rather than through the ankle joint, and create a characteristic pressure pattern on the forefoot and dorsal foot. Patients with hallux rigidus (stiff big toe joint) tolerate ski boot dorsiflexion poorly. Metatarsal stress fractures from the rigid forefoot loading are a skiing overuse injury. Extensor tendinopathy from the stiff boot upper is common. And peroneal tendon subluxation — the sudden forceful dorsiflexion mechanism of a ski fall — is perhaps the most frequently missed acute ski injury.
For Boyne Mountain skiers and snowboarders, custom ski boot orthotics are one of the highest-value interventions we provide. The rigid ski boot environment requires precise forefoot and rearfoot posting to correct alignment within the boot — a dramatically different prescription than a running or casual shoe orthotic. Boot fit assessment, including evaluation of hallux rigidus tolerance and the need for boot punch modifications, is part of our ski season evaluation protocol.
Year-Round Recreation and Foot Health in Charlevoix County
Beyond skiing, Charlevoix County’s outdoor culture generates foot and ankle demands in every season. Lake Charlevoix supports extensive boating, kayaking, and paddleboarding — with the associated shore access and watercraft egress ankle injuries. The Boyne Mountain bike park and the broader northern Michigan trail network attract mountain bikers and trail runners throughout the summer. Charlevoix city’s harbor area draws summer pedestrian traffic on its unique drawbridge and downtown area, with the extended walking that vacation visitors are often not conditioned for.
Charlevoix County’s summer population expands enormously — the resort communities around Lake Charlevoix become dense with seasonal residents and vacation visitors whose foot health demands intensify with the transition from relatively sedentary off-season to active summer. Plantar fasciitis flares, metatarsal stress reactions, and ankle sprains from the rapid load increase are predictable mid-summer presentations.
Diabetic Foot Care for Charlevoix County
Charlevoix County’s year-round population, like most northern Michigan counties, carries a higher prevalence of diabetes-related complications than urban Michigan communities — a combination of an older demographic, limited specialty access, and the occupational and lifestyle factors of rural northern Michigan. Diabetic foot complications are preventable in the overwhelming majority of cases with consistent monitoring and timely intervention.
We provide complete diabetic foot evaluations for Charlevoix County patients, including neuropathy screening, vascular assessment, nail and callus care, wound evaluation, and therapeutic footwear prescription. Medicare covers annual diabetic foot exams and therapeutic shoes for qualifying patients. For patients with established neuropathy or peripheral vascular disease, more frequent monitoring — quarterly evaluations — is often indicated and covered. If you have diabetes and have not had a foot evaluation recently, contact us — this is genuinely important preventive care.
East Jordan and Boyne City: Agricultural and Manufacturing Communities
East Jordan and Boyne City have stronger working-class roots compared to the resort communities of Charlevoix and Petoskey. East Jordan Castings, a major iron foundry that operated for decades in East Jordan, and the broader manufacturing and agricultural economy of the southern county create a patient population with occupational foot and ankle demands quite different from the ski-and-boating community to the north. Long shifts on hard factory floors, heavy boot environments, and the cumulative joint stress of industrial work produce plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, and stress fractures in a patient population that tends to tolerate symptoms longer before seeking care.
Custom orthotics for work boot environments — fabricated in materials durable enough for industrial conditions and designed to reduce the end-of-day pain that is so common in manufacturing workers — are among the highest-impact interventions for this population. Medicare and many commercial insurance plans cover custom orthotics for occupational foot conditions with appropriate diagnoses.
Getting to Balance Foot & Ankle from Charlevoix County
From Charlevoix city, US-31 South to US-131 South provides the most direct route. From Boyne City and Boyne Falls, US-131 South is direct. From East Jordan, M-32 West to Boyne Falls then US-131 South or M-66 South are options. Travel time from Charlevoix city is approximately 100–115 minutes; from Boyne City, 85–100 minutes; from East Jordan, 90–105 minutes depending on destination office. We have multiple office locations — call us to confirm the most convenient for your starting point.
New patients from Charlevoix County are always welcome. We accept Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and most major insurance plans. Telemedicine follow-up visits are available for stable patients who do not require hands-on evaluation. Call our office or use the online scheduling tool to get started.
Dr. Tom's Product Recommendations
Sidas Custom Ski Insoles
⭐ Highly Rated
Heat-moldable ski boot insoles that provide a meaningful improvement over stock boot footbeds. While not as precise as custom orthotics, these provide valuable arch support and forefoot posting for Boyne Mountain skiers between professional fittings.
Dr. Tom says: “”My ankle fatigue after a day of skiing basically disappeared with these.””
Boyne Mountain and northern Michigan skiers, rigid ski boot forefoot support, arch fatigue prevention during skiing
True custom ski boot orthotics from a podiatrist provide significantly superior biomechanical correction for patients with specific alignment issues
Disclosure: We earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Yaktrax Walk Traction Cleats
⭐ Highly Rated
Rubber traction device that stretches over boots and shoes to provide ice and packed snow traction. For Charlevoix County residents navigating winter sidewalks and parking lots, preventing the falls that cause ankle fractures and sprains is more effective than treating them.
Dr. Tom says: “”Wear these all winter. Haven’t slipped once since I started using them.””
Northern Michigan winter walking, ice and snow traction, fall prevention for older adults and diabetic patients
Not appropriate for skiing or snowshoeing; does not eliminate all fall risk on black ice
Disclosure: We earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
✅ Pros / Benefits
- Specific experience with ski boot-related foot pathology relevant to Boyne Mountain community
- Serves both resort community (skiing, boating) and working-class (agricultural, industrial) populations
- Custom ski boot orthotics available — a high-value specialty service for northern Michigan ski patients
- Medicare and Medicaid accepted; telemedicine follow-up available
❌ Cons / Risks
- 90–115 minute drive from Charlevoix city is a significant commitment
- Ski season creates high demand — early scheduling recommended for winter appointments
- Complex ski boot fitting issues may require multiple visit iterations
Dr. Tom Biernacki’s Recommendation
Boyne Mountain patients have a specific set of foot problems I see every winter. Peroneal subluxation from ski falls is the big one — often called a sprained ankle but it’s actually the tendon snapping out of its groove. The other is ski boot extensor tendinopathy — the boot edge digging into the top of the foot. Both are very treatable when caught early, and both get complicated when they’re ignored for a season or two.
— Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM | Board-Certified Podiatric Surgeon | Balance Foot & Ankle
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make custom ski boot orthotics?
Yes. Ski boot orthotics are a specialty fabrication — the rigid boot environment requires different materials and posting angles than casual footwear. We take a precise scan of your foot, fabricate the orthotic, and can coordinate with a boot fitter for final adjustments. Custom ski boot orthotics address alignment issues that cause knee pain, ankle fatigue, and edge control problems.
What is the most common foot injury from skiing?
For recreational skiers, the most common overuse presentations are extensor tendinopathy from boot tongue pressure and metatarsal stress reactions from rigid boot forefoot loading. The most commonly missed acute injury is peroneal tendon subluxation — the tendon snapping over the fibula during a forceful dorsiflexion fall — which is frequently called a ‘sprained ankle’ and treated accordingly, with poor results.
Does my insurance cover podiatry visits?
Most major insurance plans cover podiatry services for medical conditions including heel pain, toenail disorders, diabetic foot care, ankle injuries, and many other foot and ankle conditions. We verify your specific benefits at scheduling. Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, United Healthcare, and Priority Health are among the plans we accept.
What is hallux rigidus and how does it affect skiing?
Hallux rigidus is degenerative arthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal (big toe) joint that causes stiffness and pain with dorsiflexion. Skiing requires sustained ankle dorsiflexion throughout the flexed skiing position — this is very uncomfortable for patients with hallux rigidus. Custom orthotics with Morton’s extension (a rigid carbon fiber extension under the first ray) can reduce first MTP joint stress in ski boots. Severe hallux rigidus may require cheilectomy (joint debridement) or fusion surgery for lasting relief.
How do I get to your office from Boyne City?
From Boyne City, take US-131 South directly to our closest office location — typically 85–100 minutes. US-131 connects efficiently through Petoskey and continues south through Gaylord to reach our offices. Call us to confirm which location is most convenient and to schedule your appointment.
Michigan Foot Pain? See Dr. Biernacki In Person
4.9★ rated | 1,123 Reviews | 3,000+ Surgeries
Same-week appointments · Howell & Bloomfield Hills
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I see a podiatrist?
If symptoms persist past 2 weeks, affect your normal activity, or are accompanied by red-flag symptoms (warmth, redness, swelling, inability to bear weight).
What does treatment cost?
Most diagnostic visits and conservative treatments are covered by Medicare and major insurers. Out-of-pocket costs vary by your specific plan.
How quickly can I get an appointment?
Most non-urgent cases see us within 5 business days. Urgent cases (sudden pain, possible fracture) typically same or next business day.
Visit Balance Foot & Ankle — Same-Day Appointments Available
Our podiatry team serves patients throughout Michigan including Howell, Brighton, and Bloomfield Hills. Whether you’re dealing with heel pain, ingrown toenails, or a foot injury, we have same-day appointment availability.
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Or call: (810) 206-1402
📋 Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM, FACFAS answers:
No referral is needed to see our podiatrist near Charlevoix County. You can call or book online directly. Most major insurance plans are accepted, including Blue Cross, Medicare, Aetna, Priority Health, and United Healthcare. We treat the full range of foot and ankle conditions including plantar fasciitis, bunions, ingrown toenails, diabetic foot care, neuropathy, and sports injuries. Our board-certified DPM provides both conservative and surgical care. Same-week and urgent appointments are available for residents of the Charlevoix County area.
Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM is a double board-certified podiatrist and foot & ankle surgeon at Balance Foot & Ankle Specialists in Southeast Michigan. With over a decade of clinical experience, he specializes in heel pain, bunions, diabetic foot care, sports injuries, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Biernacki is a member of the APMA and ACFAS, and his patient education content on MichiganFootDoctors.com and YouTube has reached over one million views.
Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM is a board-certified foot & ankle surgeon (ABFAS & ABPM) at Balance Foot & Ankle Specialists in Southeast Michigan. With over a decade of clinical experience, he specializes in heel pain, bunions, diabetic foot care, sports injuries, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Biernacki is a member of the APMA and ACFAS, and his patient education content on MichiganFootDoctors.com and YouTube has made him one of the most-followed foot & ankle educators on YouTube.