Dr. Fulya Sari

I'm a 72-year-old retired teacher with diabetic neuropathy, and my feet had become a source of constant worry. The numbness and odd sensations made walking my beloved seaside promenade a fearful chore. Dr. Fulya Sari at Acibadem Bakirkoy didn't just see 'an elderly diabetic case.' She spent our first consultation mapping the feeling in every toe with a monofilament, explaining in gentle Turkish how each nerve pathway worked. Her treatment plan was a revelation—not just orthotics, but a specific desensitization therapy using different textured mats. She even coordinated with my endocrinologist. Now, six months later, I can feel the smooth stones of the path beneath my feet again. Her care gave me back my confidence and my daily walks.

Our 8-year-old son, Emre, was born with a severe bilateral clubfoot that had been partially corrected in infancy but left him with a clumsy, painful gait. Multiple doctors had said nothing more could be done. Dr. Sari was our last hope. She reviewed his complex history with intense focus and proposed a staged surgical plan involving precise tendon transfers and bone reshaping. What set her apart was her approach to Emre—she used a model foot to show him what she would do, calling his bones 'little puzzles we need to fix.' The surgery at Acibadem Bakirkoy was long, but her post-op care was meticulous. At our follow-up, seeing Emre take his first truly balanced, pain-free steps was a miracle. Dr. Sari didn't just fix feet; she changed a childhood.

I'm a competitive marathon runner, and two weeks before a major race, I developed a searing, acute pain in my forefoot during a training run. It was a Saturday evening—a full-blown emergency in my world. Frantic, I called Acibadem Bakirkoy. Dr. Sari was on call and agreed to see me immediately. In her office, she quickly identified it as a stress fracture of a metatarsal, not just 'runner's pain.' Using a portable ultrasound right there, she confirmed the tiny crack. Her emergency intervention was decisive: no surgery, but an immediate custom-molded rigid boot and a shockwave therapy session to accelerate healing. She also devised a non-weight-bearing cardio plan to maintain my fitness. Her calm, urgent expertise saved my season. Most doctors would have just said 'rest.' Dr. Sari engineered a recovery.

My visit was for what I thought was a simple, routine follow-up for my chronic plantar fasciitis. Dr. Sari, however, conducts nothing routinely. Instead of just asking if the pain was better, she had me walk barefoot down the corridor while she recorded a slow-motion video on her tablet. Playing it back, she pointed out a subtle asymmetry in my hip drop that none of my previous podiatrists had ever caught—the real root cause. She then performed a dynamic gait analysis with pressure plates, not just a static exam. The resulting custom orthotics were unlike any I'd had before, accounting for that movement pattern. For a 'routine' checkup, the depth of her biomechanical investigation was astounding. She treats the person walking, not just the foot hurting.