Podiatry is a branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of the foot, ankle, and lower leg disorders. The practitioners of Podiatry are known as Podiatrists and hold a D.P.M. (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine) degree. There have been reported cases of people practicing as foot specialists as far back as 3000 years ago in ancient Egypt. However, the term Podiatry came into use in the United States in the early 20th century. But, the profession and its scope of practice have changed significantly in the last 50 years.
To become a Podiatrist, one must complete 90 semester units at a University level and/or complete a bachelor’s degree. In addition, they are required to take the MCAT (medical college admission test). Then they must apply and be admitted to one of the nine Podiatry schools. The D.P.M. degree takes 4 years to complete. The completion of the degree is followed by a 2 to 3 years of residency training which includes Podiatric medicine and surgery as well as general medicine, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, dermatology, radiology, pathology, behavioral medicine, and physical medicine.
Today, Podiatrists treat everything from fungal nail infections to foot and ankle fractures, to foot and ankle surgeries. We treat every aspect of the foot and ankle and some aspect of the lower leg. We treat dermatological conditions including ingrown nails, fungal nail infections, warts, wounds, and even perform biopsy of suspicious lesions. We treat muscle and skeletal problems including foot and ankle sprains, foot and ankle fractures, and tendon and muscle repair. We treat diagnose and treat neurological conditions such as diabetic neuropathy. And we also diagnose and treat vascular conditions such as venous stasis.
So the next time you have any foot and ankle problems, call a Podiatrist. They will help you to get back on your feet quickly and back to enjoying your life. If you have any other questions regarding this issue or want a recommendation on a Podiatrist near you, please feel free to Email us at info@youreverystep.com
Dr. Edwin Oghoorian

Greetings dear patients and guests and welcome to the new blog section on our website.  Starting October 3^rd , 2011 we will be posting various foot and ankle information and answer questions in this blog section every 2^nd  and 4^th Monday of the month.  If you have any particular topic that you would like to have information about or if you have a specific question, please feel free to e-mail us at Info@youreverystep.com and we will do our best to answer your questions or post information regarding your  equested topic.  Many of you may not know what a Podiatrist is or does.  Our first post will answer this question for you.  The first post will be reposted at least once every 2 months for those who miss it or join our blog late.

Dr. Edwin Oghoorian, FACMSP, FAPWCA

We will soon post a ton of useful information here so check back soon for some quality info.