Find A Member
Take a step in the right direction by having your feet checked routinely by a podiatric physician, the most qualified doctors to care for your feet!
Members of the Ohio Foot and Ankle Medical Association (OHFAMA) are located throughout Ohio. We are dedicated to keeping you independent, ambulatory, and walking to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
OHFAMA members are also members of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). Visit the APMA website to find a physician in your area.
Stepping Into a Better You
Who is Today's Podiatrist?
Today’s podiatrists are doctors of podiatric medicine (DPMs), also known as podiatric physicians and surgeons, qualified by their education and training to diagnose and treat conditions affecting the foot, ankle and structures of the leg. Licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, there are approximately 15,000 podiatrists practicing in the United States.
Today’s Podiatrist Does it All
Podiatrists are uniquely qualified among medical professionals to treat the foot and ankle. Given its specialization, podiatry is to the foot and ankle what ophthalmology is to the eye or cardiology is to the heart. Whether it’s sports medicine, pediatrics, dermatology or diabetes, today’s podiatrist can tackle the many diverse facets of foot care.
Podiatrists are often the first to identify systemic diseases in patients, such as diabetes and associated complications, high blood pressure and heart disease. Patients from all walks of life and of all ages—from pediatric to geriatric—require the expertise that only a doctor of podiatric medicine can provide. Today’s podiatrists:
• Perform surgery
• Perform complete medical histories and physical examinations
• Prescribe medications
• Set fractures and treat sports-related injuries
• Prescribe and fit orthotics, insoles, and custom-made shoes
• Order and perform physical therapy
• Take and interpret X-rays and other imaging studies
• Work as valued members of a community’s health care team
Nearly all health insurance plans provide coverage for the services of doctors of podiatric medicine. Podiatrists work in a variety of healthcare settings, including private or small group practices. Many also serve on the staff of hospitals and long-term care facilities, faculties of schools of medicine and nursing, as commissioned officers in the Armed Forces and U.S. Public Health Service, in the Department of Veterans Affairs and in local health departments.
Uniquely Qualified
Doctors of podiatric medicine receive medical education and training comparable to medical doctors, including four years of undergraduate education, four years of graduate education at one of 11 podiatric medical colleges and two or three years of hospital-based residency training. All podiatrists receive a DPM degree.
Most practicing podiatrists are board certified. Certification is considered to be an earned credential for those podiatric physicians who have achieved certain levels of skill and ability based upon completion of specific advanced training and clinical experience and examination.
