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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So I’m Australian and only just learnt through researching for this post that in the USA, most podiatrists do foot surgery – so different to here! In Australia, that would be done by orthopaedic surgeons (someone who has studied medicine then gone on to specialise in Orthopaedics). Always interesting to learn how things are different across the world.
Speaking a little bit about semantics (this is how it applies in Australia, so forgive me if it’s different in the USA): podiatry isn’t a “medical speciality” in Australian semantics. A medical speciality is what a medical doctor (someone who has studied an MD/MBBS) specialises in – for example cardiology, orthopaedic surgery, psychiatry etc.
Podiatrists do a separate degree and then some post-graduate training to further their skills. However it looks like in the USA, podiatrists do a pretty gruelling residency program which is why many of them operate!
In Australia however, even without podiatrists being able to perform surgeries, there is a massive need for them! Every diabetic patient should be seeing a podiatrist every 6-12 months to minimise risk of diabetic foot infections. Podiatrists make orthotics for children and adults with disabilities whose gait or anatomy may be altered (cerebral palsy, foot abnormalities, leg length differences). They also deal with hammertoes, bunions, mallet toes, diabetic ulcers, vascular ulcers, foot care. So there is a range of problems that they deal with, and there is a big demand for them! Can only imagine how much more work there is for them if they are also able to do surgeries.
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