Podiatry

Podiatry, or podiatric medicine, is a branch of medicine devoted to the study of, diagnosis, and medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower extremity. The term podiatry came into use in the early 20th century in the United States and is now used worldwide, including countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia.

Podiatry is practiced as a specialty in many countries, while in many English-speaking countries, the older title of chiropodist may be used by some clinicians (not to be confused with chiropractic, which is unrelated). In Australia, the title is podiatrist or podiatric physician and the specialist is the podiatric surgeon. In many non-English-speaking countries of Europe, the title used may be podologist or podólogo. The level and scope of the practice of podiatry vary among countries.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine, a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) is a medical specialist who diagnoses and treats conditions affecting the foot, ankle, and structures of the leg. The US podiatric medical school curriculum includes lower extremity anatomy, general human 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.