Podiatry - Podiatric Specialities

Podiatric Specialities

Podiatrists treat a wide variety of foot and lower extremity conditions, through nonsurgical and surgical approaches. The American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics and Primary Podiatric Medicine (ABPOPPM) offers a comprehensive board qualification and certification process in podiatric medicine and orthopedics. Podiatric Medicine and Orthopedics is the medical specialty concerned with the comprehensive and continuous foot health care of patients. There are those podiatric physicians who also specialize (i.e. specialists) in such fields of practice of podiatric medical specialties as:

Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery (Consultant Podiatric Surgeon)
General Podiatric Physician
Podiatric Medical Physician
Podiatric Orthopedic
Sports Medicine (Podiatric Sports Physicians)
High Risk Wound Care
Podiatric Rheumatology
Neuro-podiatrist (Neurology)
Onco-podiatrist (Skin Cancers) or Podiatric Oncologist
Podiatric Vascular Specialist
Dermatological Podiatrist
Diagnostic Podoradiologist (Radiology)
Gerentological Podiatrist
Diabetic limb salvage and wound care (Podiatric Diabetologist)
Podopaediatrics (the study of children's foot and ankle conditions)
Forensic Podiatry (the study of footprints, footwear, shoeprints and feet associated with crime scene investigations)

In Australia there is now an option to be a podiatric assistant. The qualification is a Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance specialising in podiatry. They work as a part of a podiatric medical team in a variety of clinical and non clinical settings. There is currently developing strategies further utilise these skilled workers. Worldwide there are common professional accrediation pathways to be a podiatric assistant. There are many fields such as:

Podiatric Nurse
Foot carer/nurse
Podiatry support worker
Podiatry technician
Podiatry Hygienists
Foot Health Professional
Podiatric Surgical Nurse
Foot Hygienist
Foot Health Practitioner
Podiatric Medical assistant