Dr Richard O. Schuster, DPM

Dr. Schuster

I learned of Richard O. Schuster, DPM's death at the recent NY Podiatry Convention. I knew he was ill, but still have trouble believing he's deceased.

I don't feel I'm as qualified as many who knew him to submit a post such as this, but I must contribute what I know, in tribute to him.

Richard's dad was one of the founding fathers of our profession. I first heard of Dick Schuster in the early '70's, at NYCPM. He was already an established legend. He'd published prolifically. He was one of the first podiatrists in NY City to be esteemed by the medical community. Not just by a few physicians, but by the top orthopedists in the community, some of whom were known to unabashedly hate podiatrists. His results with the podopediatric, sports medicine, and recalcitrant cases he chose to manage were nearly infallible. He didn't do surgery, didn't do C+C. He devoured biomechanics. He steamrollered it. I was thrilled one year at NYCPM when I found out that he would be teaching my biomechanics course.

I served my biomechanics fellowship under Dick Schuster, and followed him around like a little duckling. I was constantly learning from him. He invited me to his office in College Point, Queens. An obscure location, but not so obscure that the top professional athletes and dancers in the country wouldn't make repeat visits to him there. In his office, which I remember clearly to this day, though I only visited once, he'd check angle and base of gait during his PE by having his patients walk on a long roll of paper on which he'd carefully sprinkle talcum powder. Then he's bend over and measure the scuff marks. He checked hip rotations, tibial torsion, "navicular differential" (this was one of his pets), ankle equinus, subtlalar, midtarsal, and mtp joint ROMs, and I'm sure I'm leaving out many other parameters. When I tried to do his thing at my office, it took inordinately long. I was amazed how he could do so much in an initial visit. He used shoeboxes filled with axle grease and covered with a layer of saran wrap to do his semi weight-bearing castings. The grease would hold its shape and he'd pour in the liquid plaster, then he'd reuse the grease after the plaster hardened. He always had a styrofoam cup of coffee going, and he'd carefully replace the lid to keep it warm. He was always brushing grinding dust from his clothes. When I left his office that day, he gave me a tiny bronze foot. It was from a casting he took of his newborn nephew's foot. He loved creating bronzes from castings. It remains one of my cherished possessions. Over the years I've shown it to my patients and told them it was a gift from my mentor.

Dick wasn't a rebel, though his approach was radically different from everybody else's. He was a clear thinker, and brilliant. He used wear patterns on orthotics and insoles as clues. He'd grind away portions of the sole of the shoe. He made magical strips of leather for dress and dance shoes, based on sweat patterns, which he called "articulated insoles". He was soft spoken, and humble. The only times I saw him get aggravated were when he'd discovered unethical behavior. As far as I can tell, he was esteemed and loved by every podiatrist and patient he'd ever met.

I guess the same image will continue to stand out in my mind about Dick Schuster. It is of the first pair of orthotics I'd ever seen that he'd made. A patient pulled them out of her shoes. Except for the heel cups and the leather, they were unrecognizable to my preconceived notion of what orthotics should be. The left one extended to the hallux IP joint, then was cut drastically back to the midtarsal joint, extended laterally to the cuboid, and became a heel cup. The right one was sulcus length, except for at the second MTP joint. The orthotic was completely cut away there. I remember this patient was a true believer in Dick Schuster, telling me those othotics were the only ones which worked, after she'd visited many other podiatrists. People had faith that a great podiatrist must be out there somewhere. This was his contribution to the profession.

Several years ago, Dick moved to Florida, where he went into semi-retirement. His wife Grace was sick for many years. I considered it a supreme honor that he referred me patients who called him in Florida. He retired completely not so long ago. My whole career has been inspired by Dr. Schuster, if I might be so bold. I've developed my own approach, but his clear thinking and his unfailing principle will always be my beacons. I cannot ever thank him enough, nor can the profession of podiatry.

My sincerest sympathies to his family.

God bless you, Dr. Schuster