What is a Foot Doctor Called?
What is a foot doctor called? Of course, many people seem to be satisfied with calling them foot doctors, but the technical term is Podiatrist or Doctor of Podiatric Medicine.
There are carvings in ancient Egyptian tombs that show physicians tending to feet. The medical treatment of the foot seems to go back a long, long way. It is by no means a new science. Yet, in this time with a population that is rapidly aging and with the average life span increasing dramatically, foot disorders are among the most widespread and most neglected of all ailments. The foot doctor is often overwhelmed with patients and there is a chronic shortage of them everywhere. But, what is a foot doctor really called?
The actual name for the foot doctor is the Podiatrist. It comes, of course, from the root word for foot. An even more exact term would be Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. The profession is regulated by the American Podiatric Medical Association. The Podiatrist must complete a course of training that is similar in scope and length to a Doctor of Medicine, or MD, but the focus is on the foot, ankle, and lower extremities.
The term Podiatrist originated in the United States, but has since come into common usage World wide. In the past, the term Chiropodist was used for a doctor who specialized in the foot and ankle area, but recently this term has fallen out of favor. It is still used in some parts of the World, however, and the meaning of the two words is identical.
A recent estimate revealed that there are only about 17,800 practicing Podiatrist in the United States. The demand for new Podiatrists is far exceeding the graduation rates for schools of Podiatric Medicine. This would certainly seem to make this a lucrative field for prospective medical students, but the field still struggles with the perception that the fields of Internal Medicine and Surgical Medicine offer more glamour and higher pay.
To the patient suffering from bunions or corns, or experiencing the pain of arthritis in his toes, or worried about a foot infection caused by diabetes, the “foot doctor” is a true hero. The Podiatrist is filling a very vital role in the overall health field. We are always telling people that they need to stand up on their two feet. It is an expression that indicates the human condition at its very finest. We are, indeed, Homo erectus, the upright man, and it is the Podiatrist that is best equipped to keep us that way.