About Dr. Eric D. Villarreal

Dr. Eric Villarreal is a board-eligible orthopedic surgeon with advanced subspecialty training in orthopedic foot and ankle surgery. He is excited to serve as the first and only orthopedic foot & ankle surgeon in Daytona Beach this September 2024.

His clinical interests include foot and ankle trauma, sports injuries to the foot and ankle, chronic lateral ankle instability, Achilles tendon ruptures, ankle cartilage defects, ankle arthroscopy, ankle replacement, foot and ankle arthritis, minimally invasive hammertoe correction, and minimally invasive bunion correction.

Dr. Villarreal completed his orthopedic surgery residency in Memphis, TN at the world-renowned Campbell Clinic. This involved significant training in orthopedic trauma surgery and foot and ankle surgery. He then pursued advanced subspecialty training in orthopedic foot and ankle surgery through a fellowship at the University of Colorado in Denver with Drs. Mark Myerson and Ken Hunt. He has extensive training in total ankle arthroplasty, the gold standard treatment for ankle arthritis. He also has advanced training in and experience with minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery, allowing for smaller surgical incisions, less postoperative pain, and quicker recovery from surgery.

As a surgeon at The Orthopedic Clinic, Dr. Villarreal will see patients at the following locations: Daytona Beach, Palm Coast, and Port Orange.

Dr. Villarreal, his wife Tessa, and their daughter Olivia are all from west Tennessee but grew up life long lovers of the beach. As a result, it was a no-brainer to move to Daytona Beach when the opportunity to join The Orthopedic Clinic presented itself. They are excited to become a part of this vibrant community and enjoy everything that it has to offer.

In his spare time, Dr. Villarreal enjoys rooting for Ole Miss football, spending time with Tessa and Olivia, kayaking, running, and biking, and doing whatever Olivia tells him to do.

Clinical Expertise:

  • Ankle: Achilles tendon ruptures (including the PARS technique used on athletes such as Aaron Rodgers), chronic achilles tendonitis/tendinosis, Achilles tendon contracture, ankle arthritis (including total ankle replacement and ankle fusion), ankle arthroscopy, leg deformity correction, subtalar arthritis, flatfoot reconstruction surgery, cavovarus foot deformity, ankle sprains, ankle instability, peroneal tendon tears and tendinosis/tendonitis, talar avascular necrosis (AVN), total talus replacement, talar osteochondral defects (OCD), diabetic Charcot arthropathy, foot drop surgery, tendon transfers, tibialis anterior tendon ruptures, subtalar arthroscopy, endoscopic and open Haglund’s resection.
  • Foot: Tarsal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, mid foot arthritis, big toe arthritis (hallux rigidus), bunion correction (including Lapiplasty) hammertoes, claw toes, metatarsalgia, Morton’s neuromas, bunionette (tailor’s bunion) correction, minimally invasive bunion and hammertoe surgery, foot stress fractures, Os trigonum syndrome, FHL tenosynovitis, dance injuries.
  • Trauma: Complex foot and ankle fractures (including tibia, ankle, pilon, talus, and calcaneus fractures), Jones fractures, Lisfranc injuries, turf toe injuries, foot and ankle post traumatic arthritis, lower extremity amputations, general upper and lower extremity trauma.

Education and Training

Undergraduate Education

University of Mississippi, August 2010 – May 2014, B.A.
Summa Cum Laude

Medical Education

University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, August 2014 – May 2018, M.D.
Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society

Residency

UT-Campbell Clinic Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, July 2018 – July 2023

Fellowship

University of Colorado Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgery, August 2023 – July 2024

Honors/Awards

Residency:
2021 AOFAS Annual Meeting Resident Scholarship Program
Medical School:
Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
Dr. John H. & Marjorie Burkhart Medical Education Scholarship
Dorothy Snider Scholarship
UTHSC College of Medicine’s Tennessee Scholars Fund Scholarship
Gold Humanism Honor Society Nominee
Top 10 in Principles of Clinical Medicine – Spring 2015
Undergraduate:
Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Graduate
Summa Cum Laude
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Kappa Phi
The UM Distinguished Senior Scholarship
Academic Excellence Scholarship
2012-2013 Outstanding Physical Chemistry Student

Society Memberships

Residency:
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (Surgeon in Training Member)
American Medical Association
Tennessee Medical Association

Medical School:
American Medical Association Student Member
Tennessee Medical Association Student Member
Memphis Medical Society Student Member
Student Orthopaedic Association (SOA)
Student Surgical Society

Undergraduate:
Order of Omega
Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society
National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Sigma Alpha Lambda Honor Society
Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX) Fraternity

Published Research

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Villarreal ED, Wrenn JO, Sheffer BW, Sawyer JR, Spence DD, Kelly DM. Do Patient-specific or
Fracture-specific Factors Predict the Development of Acute Compartment Syndrome After
Pediatric Tibial Shaft Fractures? Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics. 2020;40(3):e193-e197.
Sheffer BW, Villarreal ED, Ochsner MG, 3rd, Sawyer JR, Spence DD, Kelly DM. Concurrent
Ipsilateral Tibial Shaft and Distal Tibial Fractures in Pediatric Patients: Risk Factors, Frequency,
and Risk of Missed Diagnosis. Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics. 2020;40(1):e1-e5.
Villarreal ED, Konofaos P, Kelly DM. Valgus Hindfoot Deformity Secondary to Neonatal
Intravenous Infiltration: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. J Craniofac Surg. 2018
Jan;29(1):380-383. PMID: 29135726
Villarreal ED, Hewgley WP, Lang WH, et al. In-bag enzymatic splenic digestion: a novel alternative
to manual morcellation? The Journal of Surgical Research. 2017;218:209-216. PMID: 28985851

OTHER PUBLICATIONS:
Accepted articles/abstracts:
1. Carson D. Strickland MD, Eric Villarreal, MD, David R. Richardson, MD. An Oblique Transsyndesmotic
Screw to Augment Fixation of Distal Fibula Fractures: A Technique Guide. AOFAS
Annual Meeting 2021, Charlotte, NC. Accepted Audio Poster.
2. Carson D. Strickland, MD; Joseph T. Cline, MD; Eric D. Villarreal, MD; G. Andrew Murphy,
MD. The Weil Osteotomy for Angular Correction of Axial Plane Deformities of the Lesser MTP
Joints: A Radiographic Analysis. AOFAS Annual Meeting 2021, Charlotte, NC. Accepted Oral
Presentation.

Hospital Affiliations

East Coast Surgery Center, Daytona Beach
Halifax Health, Daytona Beach & Port Orange
Advent Health, Daytona Beach

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