Somehow podiatry came up ( I have no background in medicine) and I was wondering why in the world are feet doctors a specialty compared to a general surgeon or someone that might fix a broken arm or hand issues?
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Every part of the body has their own subspecialist surgeons. Within orthopedic surgery there are subspecialties for hand surgery, orthopedic trauma, spine surgery, hip and knee reconstruction, shoulder and elbow, etc.
Foot and ankle surgery is also a subspecialty within orthopedics. Foot and ankle surgeons are firstly orthopedic surgeons with a complete orthopedic education and training who then specialize in treating everything to do with the lower extremity.
Podiatry itself is a separate field with an independent education pathway that has its own residency.
Typically, podiatrists are more narrow in their scope of treatment of lower extremity issues than foot and ankle surgeons. If you needed something truly complex done, especially if it involved not just your forefoot but your ankle, I would consider a foot and ankle surgeon, not a podiatrist. We see enough nightmare podiatry transfers from podiatrists who took on more than they could handle.
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