Laura  
Practicing Podiatrist since 1990 

What is Podiatry?
Podiatry, podiatric
 medicine or chiropody is a field of healthcare devoted to the study and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and the knee, leg and hip (collectively known as the lower extremity).

Podiatry in the UK
 
In the UK, a podiatrist is a specialist
professional allied to the medical profession who studies foot pathology from a  structural and functional standpoint, and who treats medical problems dealing with the foot.

 Scope of practice:
- High risk patient management 
- Sports injuries and 
- biomechanics 
- Foot and nail surgery
- Foot health education 
- Foot surgery: congential and acquired formities e.g flat foot,  tarsal coalitions, bunion (hallux abducto valgus), digital deformity, ankle instability 

In the UK any practitioner working under the reserved title Podiatrist must be registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC).

 The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists is the largest professional body and trade union for registered chiropodists and students. The Society represents
over 11,000 members working in private practice, the NHS, education, and the retail sector.

The Alliance of Private Sector Chiropody and Podiatry Practitioners represents both Podiatrists and Foot Health Practitioners who can be consulted directly by the public for early attention.

The profession of podiatry has developed from its origins in chiropody to  become a medical speciality dealing with assessment, diagnosis and treatment of
the lower limb.

In 2006, legislation was amended to allow HPC registered podiatrists who are annotated as licensed in the use of prescription-only medication (POM) to access
and supply a limited range of POMs including antibiotics and steroids for injection.