Dr. Lee Wittenberg, DPM

Podiatrist (Foot and Ankle Specialist) | Foot & Ankle Surgery

8530 West Sunset Road Ste 345 Las Vegas NV, 89113 Show map

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About

Dr. Lee Wittenberg is a board certified podiatrist practicing in Las Vegas, NV. Dr. Wittenberg was recently given the honor of becoming the Executive Director of the American Board of Lower Extremity Surgery. Dr. Wittenberg is the ONLY Foot & Ankle surgeon in Las Vegas board certified by 2 different surgical boards in foot surgery and in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, being certified by the American Board of Lower Extremity Surgery and the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Dr. Wittenberg is a medical doctor specializing in the treatment of the foot, ankle, and related parts of the leg. As a podiatrist, Dr. Wittenberg diagnoses and treats conditions of the feet. The feet are key body parts that give a person stability, absorb shock, allow for walking and standing and are necessary for overall well-being. So, the feet need expert care. Specialize in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery requires a great deal of understanding of the body's biomechanics. Dr. Wittenberg also is a specialist in wound care and limb salvage, sports medicine, diabetic care and pediatrics.

Education and Training

Ohio College of Podiatric Medcine DPM 2000

Board Certification

American Board of Lower Extremity Surgery

Foot Surgery (Podiatric Surgery)

Reconstructive Rearfoot / Ankle Surgery (Podiatric Surgery)

Provider Details

Male English, Spanish

Dr. Lee Wittenberg, DPM

Dr. Lee Wittenberg, DPM's Expert Contributions

My Latest Posts
My Answers

Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that affects many of your body systems. It can lead to blindness, kidney disease, disease of the nerves (neuropathy), blockage of the arteries (which may lead to a stroke or a heart attack), a weakening of the immune system, possible amputation, and a decreased overall life...
Venous Insufficiency/Ankle Swelling
Venous Insufficiency: Why are my ankles and feet swollen?People often ask me as a Podiatrist, ‘why are my ankles, legs and feet swollen?’ The most common reason for ankle and foot swelling is venous insufficiency. What is venous insufficiency? It is a problem of pooling of fluid or retention of...
Plantar Fasciitis - Heel Pain
The most common cause of heel pain that I see in my practice is caused by a pathology called ‘Plantar Fasciitis.’ People usually come in complaining of pain on the inside of their heel or along the bottom of the arch that came on suddenly. Symptoms usually consist of pain that starts with the...
Hallux Rigidus/Hallux Limitus
There are 2 types of hallux limitus: 1) Structural and 2) Functional. A structural hallux limitus is due to the development of arthritis (a decrease in the cartilage between 2 bones in a joint), which includes spurring or bone growth around the joint, most obvious at the top of the 1st...
Metatarsalgia: Pain At the Ball of the Foot
It is very common for us to see patients complaining of pain in the balls of the feet and toes. There are many contributing factors and several pathologies which commonly cause this type of pain. Problems that we see include Neuromas (Nerve impingements at the ball of the foot), Capsulitis/joint...
Plantar Fasciitis
The most common cause of heel pain that I see in my practice is caused by a pathology called ‘Plantar Fasciitis.’ People usually come in complaining of pain at the inside of their heel or along the bottom of the arch that came on suddenly. Symptoms usually consist of pain that starts with...

Do you need to bring your child to the doctor if they fell off their bike?
If the child has pain after an injury, or if the child's function has changed, you should absolutely have the child checked out. That is simply good parenting-making sure your child is ok after an injury. READ MORE
Can I walk a week after ankle surgery?
You must consult with your surgeon to see if it is OK for you to bear weight and walk after surgery. It would be completely out of line for me to recommend activity level to any patient who is not my own surgical patient READ MORE
Does a torn ligament in the ankle require surgery?
Sometimes a torn ligament requires surgery, and sometimes it does not. It depends on your symptoms and the stability of your ankle. If you feel stable, and you are not experiencing frequent sprains and are not in much pain, the ligament does not usually need to be surgically repaired. But if you feel like you are always going to sprain your ankle, and/or your are having a lot of pain in the ankle, you may need surgery. The only way to diagnostically diagnose a torn ligament is to have an MRI. You must have a positive MRI finding of torn ligaments before even considering such surgery. Look up lateral ankle instability, lateral ankle instability, Brostrom procedure/modified Brostrom procedure. READ MORE
Can being overweight cause ankle pain?
Yes. Being overweight causes a great deal of stress to the joints, tendons, bones and ligaments. Being overweight also causes a wider stance of gait and weight bearing to accommodate a different center of gravity. This also may cause flat feet, knee and ankle pain, hip pain and low back pain. READ MORE
What is the best pain relief for plantar fasciitis?
When you are dealing with plantar fasciitis, you are dealing with inflammation which is the cause of the pain. So, getting rid of inflammation is key to treating this problem. Cortisone injections, oral anti-inflammatories, and topical anti-inflammatories may assist in getting rid of your pain. But the problem is more complicated than that. READ MORE
What is the home remedy for ankle pain?
It depends. Is it actually your ankle joint that hurts? Is it one of the many surrounding tendons? Is it the joint below the ankle-the Subtalar Joint? Is it your Tarsal Tunnel and possibly nerve irritation? There are many things that it COULD be, so designating a treatment protocol is difficult in this situation. However, the basic rule of thumb for an acute injury is RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation). You may supplement this with 600mg of Ibuprofen 3x per day, or 500mg of Naproxen twice a day to assist with ridding your body of pain and inflammation. READ MORE
Why does my foot randomly ache sometimes?
Most occasional aches and pains are usually related to dysfunction of the foot/joints/tendons. Fatigue from your feet working to hard to function properly. I would start by supplementing my shoes with a good pre-fabricated orthotic/arch support, or to see if your insurance covers you for custom made orthotics. Simply wearing these and having your feet start to function better and more properly, this may solve your issues completely. READ MORE
How long does it take for nerves to heal after foot surgery?
Nerves are not usually cut during surgery, but if a nerve is lacerated, the sensation and function from that nerve may never come back. Most people's nerves are stretched during the process of surgery, and this may result in temporary numbness. This temporary numbness may last for 2-6 months after surgery-sometimes longer, and many people have no numbness, whatsoever READ MORE
When should I see a doctor for heel pain?
You should see a doctor for your heel pain if the pain is interfering with your daily activity level or other activities. READ MORE
Why does the bone under my big toe hurt?
It is difficult to discern the cause of your pain without an examination. You could have arthritic changes of your first metatarsophalangeal joint, you could have a functional issue, you could have tendinitis, or you could even have distal plantar fasciitis. You may have sesamoiditis. You may have a combination of issues. It would be my suggestion to get your problem evaluated by a specialist. READ MORE
Are you awake for foot surgery?
It depends on your insurance, your surgeon, and your anesthesiologist. It also depends on your comorbidities and other health issues. You will need to have clearance for surgery, and you can discuss anesthesia with your surgeon and your anesthesiologist prior to surgery. READ MORE
When do you see a doctor for a sore ankle?
You can not 'sprain' an ankle from walking in tall heels. You can irritate tendons, ligaments and joints. But a sprain is a specific injury, and requires a trauma in order to stretch or rupture a ligament or other structure. You should see a physician if your pain persists for more than 1-2 weeks READ MORE
What can I do with my chronic foot pain?
There are 28 bones and over 50 joints in the foot and ankle. There are multiple tendons, ligaments, and nerves. There are too many structures to give you a fair analysis of your foot pain without an examination or further, more detailed information. READ MORE
What to do right after twisting your ankle?
RICE therapy is the best first-course of action for a sprain or injury to the foot or ankle. R= rest to allow the injury to rest and heal. I=ice to decrease inflammation and pain. C=compression (ACE wrap or ankle brace) to reduce swelling and pain and give support to the area. E=Elevation to decrease swelling and to allow rest. READ MORE
How long does it take to recover from a broken ankle?
A non-displaced ankle fracture, like any non-displaced fracture, should be casted/immobilized for 6 weeks. That is normal physiologic time for healing a fracture/broken bone. But an ankle fracture needs careful evaluation. Many ankle fractures require surgical repair, and care needs to be take to evaluate the syndesmosis (the ligament that holds the Tibia and Fibula together) for proper stability. Failure to do so can lead to sever instability of the ankle after healing and can lead to more significant issues in the future. The fibular length and ankle mortice must be intact, also for proper stability. And your son should not bear weight on the affected foot/ankle for a minimum of 4-6 weeks. READ MORE
How to ease pain in my right ankle?
It is difficult to discern what is wrong with you without more detail and without an examination. You could have ankle arthritis. You could have tendonitis. You could be pronating (a certain motion of the foot which usually looks like a flat foot) and the pain may not be related to the actual ankle joint, at all. Without seeking professional help to discern what your actual pathology is, it is impossible to give you advice on this issue. READ MORE
How do I know if my ankle injury is serious?
If an ankle injury is very serious, you usually can not walk immediately on the foot/ankle associated with the injury. This could mean you fractured your ankle. However, sprains and ligament tears/ruptures are common with a simple ankle sprain or injury. Sometimes, soft tissue injuries actually take longer to heal than an actual fracture. If a patient comes to our clinic and the sprain was many months ago, but they are experiencing a great deal of pain, we may try conservative care to start (injections, ankle braces, compression, rest, etc), but if the problem persists, we send our patients for an MRI to rule out an osteochondral defect, ligament sprains or ruptures, or tendon pathologies that may result from such injuries. Depending on the pathology, the treatment may vary from conservative care to surgical intervention. READ MORE
The arch in my foot has lessened over time?
It can be a sign of a tendon problem called "Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction." This is a progressive problem that moves through 4 stages. Are you having pain in your foot? Particularly the medial arch or along your medial ankle? If so, this may be a significant problem. Even if you do not have pain, arch supports will probably help with the problem, and stop it from progressing over time. READ MORE
Do they numb you for ingrown toenail surgery?
The ingrown toenail "Surgery" is a minor procedure we do in the office. You can simply have the ingrown removed, or you can have the ingrown more permanently removed with a procedure called a Matricectomy-where we chemically destroy the growth cells on the side of the nail that is ingrowing. Either way, yes, we numb the toe. It would truly be barbaric not to. READ MORE
My heels are in pain all the time?
It depends on what the pathology/diagnosis is. But there are several treatments for heel pain. Most commonly, the diagnosis is plantar fasciitis. The treatments include Cortisone injections, foot strappings, home PT programs, orthotics, and anti-inflammatory medications. Other pathologies require different types of treatments. READ MORE

Areas of expertise and specialization

Reconstructive Foot & Ankle surgeryWound care and limb salvageDiabetic Foot Care, Diabetic shoesOrthotics and biomechanics of the foot and anklePlantar fasciitisNerve pain and NeuropathyNueromasTendonitisArthritis of the foot and ankleFlat Foot and Flat Foot ReconstructionToenail FungusIngrowing ToenailsFoot and leg woundsInfections of the foot and ankleAthlete's Foot and fungal infectionsRashes, DermatitisFoot Pain, Ankle pain