RELEVANT MEDICINE, BIOMECHANICS AND SURGERY
Podiatric medicine and surgery is a doctoral level medical profession. It is defined by the American Podiatric Medical Association as “that profession of the health sciences concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the human foot, ankle, and their governing and related structures, including local manifestations of systemic conditions, by all appropriate methods and means.” Its practitioners, podiatric physicians and surgeons, are also known by the older term podiatrists and the newer term foot and ankle surgeons. They work with all organ systems of the foot and ankle, including the vascular, neurological, dermatological and orthopedic systems. Podiatric medicine and surgery can be compared to dentistry in its independence as a profession, and to ophthalmology or any other medical or surgical specialty in its position within the health care system.
Podiatric physicians and surgeons hold the degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. Their education is parallel to those taken in the other two schools of medicine, allopathic medicine (M.D.) and osteopathic medicine (D.O.). Podiatric physicians and surgeons complete four years of post-baccalaureate medical school, followed by several years of residency. They are then licensed by the State in which they practice. They can take additional steps to become Board Certified by two boards recognized by the American Podiatric Medical Association. These boards are the American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics and Primary Podiatric Medicine (ABPOPPM), and the American Board of Podiatric Surgery (ABPS).
Though podiatrists have different meanings outside the United States, in this country they are the physicians and surgeons of the foot and ankle.
