So, What’s A Podiatrist Anyway?
Great question!
We talk about them a lot over here at Therafit HQ. We designed our shoes to podiatric standards for a reason — namely, because they’re the foot health pros.
A podiatrist is a doctor of podiatric medicine — you might have seen the acronyms DPM, which is what that stands for. They’re physicians and surgeons who specifically treat the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. They’re very specialized for a reason, as most other doctors don’t have the years of training it takes to be full on experts in this area.
Most of us laypeople are always forgetting about your feet — whether it’s putting sunscreen on them, finding the right shoe for them, or treating them to an extra special at-home spa day — even though our feet are what support our entire bodies and what allow us to do everything we do. They’re often an afterthought, yet our feet are very complex anatomical structures. They’re basically “all-in-one stabilizers, shock absorbers, and propulsion engines” (says the APMA) all at the same time. Tools like these require expert care.
To be sure that you’re seeking out the most qualified healthcare professional for your feet, make sure you see the letters “DPM” after their name. The acronym means the professional is a physician that has completed years of rigorous foot and ankle training in podiatric medical school and hospital-based residency training, making them expertly and uniquely qualified to care for this very special part of your body.
Like most other qualified medical professionals, podiatrists complete four years of training at medical school after earning their bachelor’s degree. They then continue on to three years of hospital residency training, and some may go on to complete fellowship training after that. There are many different kinds of focus that a podiatrist may have, ranging from sports medicine to diabetic and wound care.
Our shoes are APMA approved, which means that the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), the organization that represents a vast majority of the podiatrists in the country, has verified and given us their Seal of Acceptance to signify that our technology is in fact beneficial to foot health.
So next time you’re looking for some medical foot health support, contact a podiatrist near you — and to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward in terms of foot health (see what we did there?), always choose shoes that have a good arch support and don’t constrict your feet.
Want some cute ones? That part’s easy — take a look through our dozens of styles and colors to find the supportive shoes that are right for you.
