The feet are parts of the body that usually are ignored unless they become a source of pain, or embarassment in some cases. A podiatrist, though, is one person who doesn't ignore them.

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And there are plenty of people who need their services. The American Podiatric Medical Association estimates that 75 percent of Americans will experience foot problems of varying degrees during their lifetimes.

Podiatrists are licensed doctors who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of foot disorders. These include everything from fractures to skin and nail diseases, to conditions such as corns and calluses.

For treating these ailments they prescribe drugs and physcial therapy, set fractures and, when necessary, perform surgery. They also fit corrective inserts called orthotics. To assist in this, podiatrists use technology including a force plate, which the patient walks across allowing a computer to get a "reading" of the patient's feet. A podiatrist may also design custom shoes.

Symptoms of health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders sometimes first appear in the feet meaning the podiatrist might be the first medical professional to diagnose the condition. For example, diabetes can be detected when a foot infection, caused by poor circulation, is discovered.

There are seven colleges of podiatric medicine in the United States, the closest being the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in Cleveland. Prospective students must complete a baccalaureate degree and pass the Medical College Admission Test.

Once accepted, the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree program is four years long with the first two years being mostly classroom-based instruction and the majority of the third and fourth years geared toward clinical studies.

After graduation, many states, including New York beginning in 2000, require a one-year podiatric medicine residency. The New York Board for Podiatry in Albany must also license those who wish to practice in the state.

The demand for these practitioners is increasing, with the number of visits to podiatrists at more than 55 million in 1995 according to statistics from the American Podiatric Medical Association. That was 38 percent higher than in 1983.

These specialized doctors' earnings are certainly nothing to scoff at. The average yearly salary for a podiatrist in the first two years of practice is $44,662, according to the APMA. The average for all podiatrists in practice is just over $108,000 annually.