Minnesota is the only state read here whose podiatry definition includes the human hand, though it excludes hand and finger amputation. Ohio and Alaska allow superficial hand lesions other than trauma, and West Virginia hand warts and lesions that also occur on the foot. Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Idaho define podiatry as the foot and leg, each with limits.
Most podiatry statutes stop at the foot and ankle. A handful go further, either up the leg or, more surprisingly, to the hand. These provisions are narrow and easy to misread, and they never travel: a Minnesota podiatrist who treats hands has no hand scope in Wisconsin.
Does any state include the hand in podiatry?
Minnesota is the clearest case. Podiatric medicine "means the diagnosis or medical, mechanical, or surgical treatment of the ailments of the human hand, foot, ankle, and the soft tissue of the lower leg distal to the tibial tuberosity." The same sentence includes partial foot amputation "and excludes amputation of the hand or fingers" (Minn. Stat. 153.01, subd. 2). Hand care is therefore within the license, but hand or finger amputation is not.
Ohio includes "superficial lesions of the hand other than those associated with trauma." A podiatrist "may treat the local manifestations of systemic diseases as they appear in the hand and foot, but the patient shall be concurrently referred" to an MD or DO for the systemic disease itself (ORC 4731.51).
West Virginia allows "medical and surgical treatment of warts and other dermatological lesions of the hand which similarly occur in the foot" (W. Va. Code 30-3-4).
Alaska uses almost the same words as Ohio: the practice of podiatry includes "superficial lesions of the hand other than those associated with trauma," with concurrent referral for systemic disease (AS 08.64.380(7)).
Those four are the only hand provisions among the statutes read for this site. A podiatrist who removes hand warts in Ohio or West Virginia should not assume the same in a neighboring state.
Which states define podiatry as the foot and leg?
- Arizona covers "ailments of the human foot and leg," defines the leg as "that part of the lower limb between the knee and the foot," and excludes amputating the leg or entire foot and any anesthetic other than local (A.R.S. 32-801).
- Florida covers "ailments of the human foot and leg," but surgery "shall be limited anatomically to that part below the anterior tibial tubercle," and amputation of the foot or leg in its entirety is excluded (Fla. Stat. 461.003).
- Nevada defines podiatry as "the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of ailments of the human foot and leg" (NRS 635.010). The authorized acts in NRS 635.085 refer repeatedly to the foot or leg, but a podiatric physician may not amputate a leg or foot and may amputate a toe only under hospital or surgical center conditions.
- Idaho limits podiatrists "to the human foot and leg." Surgery covers the foot and ankle and soft tissue below the knee governing them, but not knee surgery, surgery on bone proximal to the distal half of the tibia, or amputation of the leg (Idaho Code 54-602).
What about "lower leg" states?
Several statutes use narrower leg language:
- New Hampshire: "ailments of the human foot and lower leg" (RSA 315:6).
- Vermont: the foot and "lower leg distal to the myotendinous junction of the triceps surae" (26 V.S.A. 321).
- Colorado and Maryland: soft tissue below the mid-calf (C.R.S. 12-290-102; Health Occ. 16-101).
- District of Columbia: soft tissue "at or below the knee" (D.C. Code 3-1201.02).
The wound-care side of these provisions, and the states with specific ulcer language such as California and Oregon, are covered in how far up the leg a podiatrist can treat wounds.
Is there anything broader?
Utah's definition includes "wound debridement on the limbs and torso," but only for podiatric physicians certified as Certified Wound Specialist Physicians by the American Board of Wound Management (Utah Code 58-5a-102, 58-5a-103). It is a single procedure, not a general grant to treat the arm or trunk.
Why does this matter for licensing?
Unusual scope is a reason to read a state's act before you rely on the license. It can cut both ways:
- A Minnesota podiatrist who sees hand patients will lose that work in every other state read here.
- A Florida or Arizona podiatrist moving to Texas, Washington or Massachusetts goes from foot and leg to foot only.
- An employer hiring for leg wound care can recruit from a foot-and-leg state but must schedule by the rules of the state where the patient is seen.
The scope by state table shows each state's verified ankle, amputation and anesthesia limits, and ankle surgery scope by state covers the ankle question in depth.
How can we help?
A Podiatry Licensure Readiness Review ($149, credited toward your first application) lists, for each state you are considering, what the license covers compared with your current practice: hand, leg, ankle, amputation and anesthesia. It is the cheapest way to find out a move would cost you part of your practice.
Common questions
- Can a podiatrist treat the hand?
- Only where the statute says so. Minnesota includes the hand, Ohio and Alaska allow superficial hand lesions not caused by trauma, and West Virginia allows hand warts and lesions that also occur on the foot.
- Does foot and leg mean the whole leg?
- No. Arizona defines the leg as the part between the knee and the foot, Florida limits surgery to below the anterior tibial tubercle, and Idaho bars knee surgery and bone surgery above the distal half of the tibia.
- Will my Minnesota hand scope apply if I get licensed in Wisconsin?
- No. Wisconsin limits podiatry to conditions of the foot and ankle (Wis. Stat. 448.60). Scope always follows the state where you treat the patient.
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