Foot and Ankle Care in the News: Media Representation Across Provider Types

BackgroundOnline news media increasingly shapes patient understanding of musculoskeletal disease and influences care-seeking behavior. Foot and ankle (F&A) conditions are managed by overlapping specialties, yet their representation in public-facing media coverage is undefined.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis of patient education Google News articles was conducted for 4 foot and ankle pathologies: bunions, flatfoot deformity, plantar fasciitis, and Achilles tendonitis. Articles published January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026, were retrieved via standardized incognito searches conducted on February 22, 2026. Outcome variables included publisher type, clinician specialty, and clinician demographics.ResultsOf 835 articles screened, 333 met inclusion criteria, yielding 437 sources quoted. Podiatrists dominated media coverage of bunions (57%), flatfoot deformity (82%), and plantar fasciitis (76%), while orthopaedic surgeons represented the majority of Achilles tendonitis news articles (60%). Overall gender distribution was balanced (50% male), although Achilles tendonitis coverage skewed notably male (77%). Private practice providers outnumbered academic providers across most conditions; Achilles tendonitis was the exception, skewing heavily academic (78%).ConclusionsF&A representation in news media varies by condition. Overall, podiatry dominates coverage in F&A news media, revealing inequity in public exposure. The high rate of excluded articles across searches suggests limited substantive media coverage of these pathologies overall. Together, these findings highlight an opportunity to broaden representation in consumer health media, especially from orthopedists and academics.Levels of Evidence:Level IV Evidence: Epidemiology Study (Cross-Sectional Descriptive Analysis).