Ankle and foot

Fortunately I have not experienced much foot pain, but just enough to know how annoying it can be. Even a few hours with a blister can drastically alter the way we walk and compensatory aching can occur elsewhere in no time. Unlike some of my classmates, I am foot friendly, although I admit I have been lucky so far in managing to avoid any unpleasant encounters! I also like my own feet and I am always happy to have them worked on. I really can't understand anyone who isn't.

I have seen only one or two primary foot problems in clinic, but I have found that it is often beneficial to treat the feet when patients present with hip or knee complaints. This is relieving for them and enables me to revise. I am finding it is true that if you don't use it, you lose it - quite quickly sometimes. It has pleased me that peer feedback has been that my pressure/grip/fixing is a lot firmer now and my treatment feels more effective.

I am a visual learner and I really need information written down in front of me. This means I generate a lot of notes and then spend hours trying to summarise them! My plan this year is to collate all the information I have gathered and arrange it by anatomical area. I am in the process of annotating the second and third year visual aids for technique, with any useful information from the first year handbook, media on demand videos and notes I have taken in class over four years. Then I intend to generate memory jogging technique revision cards - I really need to widen my repertoire and keep using all the techniques we have been shown, not just a few old favourites. I am also making clinically orientated revision cards for anatomy/surface anatomy and examination, including orthopaedic tests - see below for ankle and foot.

Ankle/Foot annotated diagrams; Technique and Clinical anatomy revision cards

I am also compiling information on differentials. I am annotating a differential diagnosis textbook (the origin of VINDICATE so it seems) with information from clinic, two other useful textbooks and old fourth year notes. It really bothers me that there is no definitive well sourced list and so much information given to us is actually not entirely correct! See below for leg, heel foot and toe.

Annotated differentials textbook - leg, heel, foot and toe