Podiatry is that profession concerned with the treatment of the foot and its related structures. The foot is that part of the body that is subjected to heavy loads, made to carry a heavy body weight around and often stuffed into the dark moist environment of the shoe. Not of this can be considered healthy, hence the need for a clinical discipline, podiatry, that specialises in that structure. Podiatry training varies substantially from country to country and so does the educational requirements vary to get a podiatry degree. The extent of podiatry education usually reflects the scope or extent of practice in that country. The scope of podiatry in some countries extends to the surgical management of major rearfoot traumas, but in others podiatry only extents to the management of superficial minor skin problems. Podiatry in most countries is progressing to a greater scope of practice over time and they all started with the need for the management of minor skin lesions.
A podiatry practitioner treats a very wide range of problems from ingrown nails to ankle sprains; from bunions to sports injury; from corns and calluses to flat feet in children. A podiatry practitioner uses a wide range of treatment modalities from surgery to foot orthoses and from physical therapy to shoe modifications.
Podiatry clinics can be found in a wide range of settings that vary from a home visiting service, to a sesssional clinic in a GP office, to a stand alone podiatry practice to a large podiatry department in a major hospital. There are podiatry schools in most countries.
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