A podiatrist is a doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM), a physician and surgeon who treats the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg.
The feet are complex anatomical structures, all-in-one stabilizers, shock absorbers, and propulsion motors that are critical to overall health and well-being. They require expert attention. Be sure to see the most qualified healthcare professional to treat your feet by looking for the letters "DPM" after their name. The DPM means that a physician has completed years of rigorous foot and ankle training at podiatric medical school and hospital residency training, making him uniquely qualified to care for this part of the body. Find an APMA member podiatrist near you.
The podiatrists complete four years of training in a college of podiatric medicine and three years of hospital residency training. His training is similar to that of other doctors. Podiatrists can continue to complete fellowship training after residency.
Podiatrists can focus on many fields, including surgery, sports medicine, wound care, pediatrics, and diabetes care.
According to the American Association of Podiatric Medicine Schools, a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) is a medical specialist who diagnoses and treats conditions that affect the foot, ankle, and structures of the leg. The US Pediatric Medical School Curriculum includes lower extremity anatomy, human general anatomy, physiology, general medicine, physical assessment, biochemistry, neurobiology, pathophysiology, genetics and embryology, microbiology, histology, pharmacology, women's health, physical rehabilitation, sports medicine, research, ethics and jurisprudence, biomechanics, general principles of orthopedic surgery, and foot and ankle surgery.
U.S.-trained podiatrists rotate through major areas of medicine during residency, including emergency medicine, orthopedic surgery, general surgery, anesthesia, radiology, pathology, infectious disease, endocrinology, sports medicine, physical therapy, biomechanics, geriatrics, internal medicine, critical care, cardiology, vascular surgery, psychiatric and behavioral health, neurology, pediatrics, dermatology, pain management, wound care, and primary care.
Podiatrists can earn board certification with advanced training, clinical experience , and eventually take an exam. The American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and the American Board of Podiatric Medicine are the certifying boards for the field.
