Dr. Haller Treats a Patient with a Toe for a Thumb on 'My Feet Are Killing Me' (EXCLUSIVE CLIP)
Published May 4 2022, 1:20 p.m. ET
Dr. Sarah Haller from 'My Feet Are Killing Me.'
On My Feet Are Killing Me on TLC, Dr. Sarah Haller isn't the only podiatrist featured who helps patients with bunions, strange growths, and everything in between. But she is a mainstay on the show, and it's hard not to wonder where her office is and whether or not you can make an appointment in real life.
In an exclusive clip obtained by Distractify ahead of the May 4, 2022 episode, Dr. Haller treats a patient in one of her offices. He comes in with a toe for a thumb — literally — and needs help treating the joint pain on his foot near where his big toe used to be.
Like other cases on My Feet Are Killing Me, as wild as it seems, the patient's condition is very much real and it's filmed in one of Dr. Haller's real life offices.
Dr. Sarah Haller from 'My Feet Are Killing Me.'
Where is Dr. Sarah Haller's office on 'My Feet Are Killing Me'?
When Dr. Haller was announced as a new doctor featured on My Feet Are Killing Me, her patients might have been momentarily worried they would lose her. But on the website for the New Jersey office where she works, patients were reassured that she wasn't going anywhere.
She typically takes patients in one of the New Jersey offices in Springfield, Caldwell, and Rahway.
It's unclear if Dr. Haller's actual office is featured on My Feet Are Killing Me, though. In June 2021, she shared an Instagram post about filming Season 4 in New York City with fellow podiatrist Dr. Brad Schaeffer, who is also on the show. But even if My Feet Are Killing Me isn't filmed at Dr. Haller's office, you can still make an appointment to see her.
In the May 4, 2022 episode, Dr. Haller proves her expertise when she treats a man whose severed thumb was replaced by his big toe. In the clip, she admits that she had never seen a toe transplant before, but had only read about the procedure.
"I'm gonna create him a custom insert to replace his big toe, that will help propulse him forward," Dr. Haller explains in the clip. "I think this is truly gonna help him and give him a new bounce in his step."
Are toe transplants common outside of 'My Feet Are Killing Me'?
In the My Feet Are Killing Me clip, Dr. Haller's patient explains that he accidentally cut off his thumb with a table saw. One of his big toes was attached to where his thumb was to act as his new thumb.
And, for the most part, you can't really tell he has a toe on his hand unless you compare it to his other hand. But there's a reason why Dr. Haller hadn't seen a toe transplant in real life up until this point.
According to the National Library of Medicine, the toe to thumb transplant has become more common in recent years. But those who receive the procedure aren't guaranteed the same ease of use of their toe-thumb as they would have with their actual thumb attached.
There's also the very real possibility that the transplant won't work. And patients have to be willing to submit to months of rigorous physical therapy afterward in order to make the new thumb functional.
On My Feet Are Killing Me, Dr. Haller's patient seems to be one of the lucky ones who had a successful surgery. But for the most part, it doesn't appear to be a common procedure because of its risks.
Watch My Feet Are Killing Me on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on TLC.
