Welcome To Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa
The team of podiatrists at Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa in Ankeny and Des Moines, Iowa, provide patients with innovative, superior foot and ankle care. With years of training and experience in both adult and children’s foot and ankle conditions, the practice strives to not only take care of patients, but to exceed their expectations.
Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa offers a wide range of care that includes treatments for bunions, hallux limitus/rigidus, ankle sprains, fractures, arthritis, flat foot, hammertoe, heel pain, ingrown toenails, sports injuries, tendinitis, warts, and sesamoid pain. They also treat children’s foot deformities.
The team at Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa, made up of Dr. Mindi Dayton, DPM, MHA, Dr. Paul Dayton, DPM, MS and Dr. Jesseka Kaldenberg-Leppert, DPM, MSA, provides patients with innovative, superior foot and ankle care. With years of training and experience in both adult and children’s foot and ankle conditions, the practice strives to not only take care of patients, but to exceed their expectations.
Our team of foot and ankle surgeons handles all foot and ankle conditions, from the simple to the complex. They walk alongside patients from beginning to end, seeing them through the process of healing and recovery.
The expert podiatrists at Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa have published over 75 research papers, book chapters, and scholarly articles, sharing their research with podiatrists, orthopedic doctors, nurses, and patients across the United States. In addition, as foot and ankle surgeons, they’re known for their breakthrough techniques to improve the reliability and quality of bunion surgery. Combined they have more than 10,000 research and teaching hours over the last 15 years and have served at faculty at more than 200 surgeon training programs.
WE ARE THE BUNION EXPERTS!
The team of foot and ankle surgeons at Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa / Bunion Surgery Specialists are proud to have successfully corrected over 1,000 bunion deformities with Lapiplasty 3D Bunion Correction to date! They are a Lapiplasty® Centurion Center and a Lapiplasty® Elite Center. Co-Founders, Drs. Mindi and Paul Dayton are pioneers of Triplane Bunion Correction. Dr. Paul Dayton is a Co-Inventor of the Lapiplasty® and the Adductoplasty® systems and is one of the founding Lapiplasty® design team surgeons.
Click below to read more about this revolutionary procedure!
About Us
New Patients
Our Services
About Us
The podiatric surgeons at Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa have been instrumental in changing the way bunions are treated in the United States. Since 2009, Drs. Mindi and Paul Dayton have researched the anatomy and cause of bunions and have developed breakthrough techniques to improve the reliability and quality of bunion surgery. Dr. Paul Dayton is one of the original design surgeons and innovators for Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction and is named on numerous medical device patents related to bunion surgery. They are excited to have Dr. Jesseka Kaldenberg-Leppert join their team to continue to expand their bunion and foot and ankle reconstructive surgery practice.
Working with Treace Medical Concepts Inc, a leading medical technology company, and a group of dedicated podiatric and orthopedic design surgeons from across the country, Dr. Paul Dayton was instrumental in developing the patented method of Lapiplasty® triplane bunion correction to correct the deformity at the root of the problem. Drs. Mindi and Paul Dayton pioneered triplane bunion correction and both regularly lecture and teach hands on surgical training for Lapiplasty® for surgeons across the country. Click on our logo below, to learn more!
New Patients
If you have never been to a podiatrist before, you may be nervous about your upcoming visit. Don’t be! Millions of people see podiatrists every year for help with their feet, ankles, and lower legs.
Learn MoreOur Services
There are a variety of reasons why you may need to see a foot doctor. The musculoskeletal system of the feet, ankles, and lower legs involve many different parts that have to work together in unison to create smooth and pain-free movement.
Learn MoreDr. Mindi J. Dayton
Mindi Dayton, DPM, MHA, FACFAS is a board-certified podiatrist serving patients with superior care at Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa in Ankeny, Iowa. ...
Read MoreDr. Mindi J. Dayton
Mindi Dayton, DPM, MHA, FACFAS is a board-certified podiatrist serving patients with superior care at Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa in Ankeny, Iowa.
Dr. Dayton grew up in rural eastern Iowa and graduated from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. She earned her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine at Des Moines University (DMU) College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, Iowa. She then completed a podiatric surgical residency at Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge, Iowa. In 2018, she earned a Master of Health Care Administration from DMU.
After several years as a practicing podiatrist in northwest Iowa, she returned to Des Moines to teach at DMU and practice at the school’s Foot and Ankle Clinic. In 2017, she established Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa with her husband, Dr. Paul Dayton, with a focus on research and development of innovative techniques for foot and ankle surgery with a focus on bunion correction, specifically with Lapiplasty 3D Bunion Correction.
Dr. Dayton is board-certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery in foot surgery and reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgery. She’s a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, and has co-authored many peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and presented numerous local and regional lectures. She and her husband have teamed up to earn national awards for research posters and manuscripts.
She has a strong track record of serving on many university, local and national committees, including president and board member of the Iowa Podiatric Medical Association and committees of the American Podiatric Medical Association, and the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. While at DMU, she has been honored on several occasions for her service to DMU-CPMS, including receiving the Distinguished Scholar Faculty Award and Clinical Faculty of the Year.
When Dr. Dayton isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and children.
She also likes to garden, attend the theater, and travel.
Dr. Paul D. Dayton
Paul Dayton, DPM, MS, FACFAS is a board-certified podiatrist at Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa in Ankeny, Iowa. His years of research and experience make...
Read MoreDr. Paul D. Dayton
Paul Dayton, DPM, MS, FACFAS is a board-certified podiatrist at Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa in Ankeny, Iowa. His years of research and experience make him one of the most highly skilled podiatrists in the nation and one of the most sought after surgeons for triplane bunion correction.
After completing his undergraduate studies at Arizona State University in Tempe, Dr. Dayton earned a master’s in podiatric medical education and his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine at the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco. He served a podiatric surgical residency at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center in Santa Clara, California.
Dr. Dayton is board-certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery in foot surgery and reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgery, and he’s also a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.
In 2017, Dr. Dayton established Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa with his wife, Dr. Mindi Dayton, with a focus on research and development of innovative techniques for foot and ankle surgery. To that purpose, he works with medical technology companies and collaborates with foot and ankle surgeons across the country to develop innovative procedures. He’s named on numerous medical device patents. He is a founding Lapiplasty 3D Bunion Correction design team surgeon.
He’s held numerous academic and other leadership positions throughout his three decades in practice, including faculty positions at Des Moines University and Stanford University School of Medicine in California. He has co-authored many peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and continues to present lectures nationally and internationally. He’s served as an editor for the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery.
In his free time, Dr. Dayton enjoys spending time with his wife and children. He’s an avid woodworker, with a passion for building fine furniture. His other hobbies include being physically active, Formula One racing, always learning new things and traveling.
Dr. Jesseka K. Kaldenberg-Leppert
Jesseka Kaldenberg-Leppert, DPM, MSA, AACFAS is an Ankeny native who is returning home following a three-year podiatric surgical residency at Trinity ...
Read MoreDr. Jesseka K. Kaldenberg-Leppert
Jesseka Kaldenberg-Leppert, DPM, MSA, AACFAS is an Ankeny native who is returning home following a three-year podiatric surgical residency at Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where she received comprehensive training in reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle. Dr. “Kaldenberg” earned her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine at Des Moines University (DMU) College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, Iowa, along with a Master’s of Science in Anatomy. She completed her undergraduate degree at Central College in Pella, Iowa where she was involved in track and field.
Dr. Kaldenberg is highly trained in forefoot and rearfoot/ankle reconstructive surgery, including Lapiplasty®3D Bunion Correction. She has an interest in sports medicine of the foot and ankle as well.
When Dr. Kaldenberg is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her dogs. She also enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking and crossfit.
