Podiatric medicine is the profession that strives to improve the overall health and well-being of patients by focusing on preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions associated with the foot and ankle. Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (DPMs) are physicians and surgeons who practice on the lower extremities, primarily on feet and ankles. DPMs are licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to diagnose and treat the foot and its related or governing structures by medical, surgical, or other means. The vast majority of states also include ankle care as part of the podiatric physician's scope of practice. More than 75 percent of all Americans will experience foot and ankle problems of varying degrees at one time in their lives and thus, the need for podiatric physicians continues to grow. There are approximately 15,000 doctors of podiatric medicine practicing in the United States today. | |  |
