A podiatrist is a physician licensed to diagnose and treat, both medically and surgically, any foot disorder. One, two, and three year hospital residencies are available to podiatry school graduates. An orthopedic surgeon is a specialist dealing with any bone deformity of the body. Orthopedists first earn their medical degree in a traditional medical school. They then complete an internship and residency in orthopedic surgery.
Some orthopedists specialize in deformities of the feet.
Both podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons perform foot surgery. I saw an ad by a foot surgeon for microsurgery. A. Microsurgery is a precise technique of operating under a microscope in which a surgeon can reattach tiny structures such as small blood vessels and veins. The most dramatic use of this technique is the reattachment of severed body parts such as fingers or toes. True microsurgery is not indicated for the correction of such common foot conditions as hammertoes and bunions.