A podiatrist is a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), a medical and surgical specialist in the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of foot and ankle disorders.

The education of a podiatrist includes four years of college, followed by four years of podiatric medical school, followed by 2-3 years of a surgical residency training program. During these years of education, the podiatric medical student is exposed to many different areas of general medicine including dermatology, pediatrics, orthopedics, internal medicine, pathology, and neurology. Additionally, specialized podiatric training in the many areas of lower extremity ailments, infectious diseases, diabetic wound care, and surgical principles is obtained.

Following graduation from an accredited podiatric medical school, the new podiatrists are required to participate in surgical residency programs to further advance their experiences and education. These programs include advanced training in the surgical and medical management of common foot and ankle conditions as well as exposure to complicated adult and pediatric foot and ankle disorders. The Hugar Foot & Ankle Specialists offer Board Certified residency-trained foot and ankle surgeons; our doctors have participated in the training of over 100 podiatric surgeons practicing around the country.

Hugar Foot & Ankle Specialists include board-certified podiatric surgeons who specialize in the treatment of foot and ankle pathology, injuries and diseases. Our practice offers outpatient surgery procedures, on-site digital X-Ray testing, custom foot & ankle orthotics, advanced wound care methods, shockwave EPAT treatments, LASER surgery, and physical therapy services.