Report - 2007
Department of Podiatry
Podiatry has had a busy but productive year in 2007, with significant ongoing expansion of undergraduate student numbers (EFTSL ~ 300), changed academic staffing, developments in planning for the new undergraduate curriculum, and enhanced communication with external stakeholders.
Professorial Appointments, significant retirements, other staff recognitions
Lesley Newcombe (the Head of Department) began a year of leave from the Department in August 2007, to pursue a clinical position in Broome (Western Australia). Dr Adam Bird is acting Head of Department during her absence. Byron Perrin has replaced Anita Raspovic whilst she is on maternity leave, Jeff Carnett is backfilling Lesley’s absence, Matthew Cotchett is a new Associate Lecturer and Nik Nikolopoulos is our new Internal Clinical Co-ordinator.
Key developments in Teaching and Clinical Education
Matthew Oates was accepted as the ‘Faculty Scholar’ for Health Sciences, to work in 2008 developing innovative assessment for first year students in the new curriculum. The Department is currently considering developing an upgrade course to allow appropriately-qualified podiatrists to prescribe S4 medicines.
Key Developments in Research
The Department published 12 C1 journal articles, 2 book chapters and a Cochrane systematic review. Academic Staff were involved in $522,000 in competitive grants. Adam Bird graduated from his PhD (details below). The Department consolidated research staff into the Foot and Ankle Group of the Musculoskeletal Research Centre (MRC).
Key Developments in Community Service
The Department assisted with the provision of Podiatry services for participants in the Oxfam trailwalker event (April 07) (http://www2.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/melbourne/).
Key Developments in International Activities
Visiting lecturer, Mr. Ivan Bristow from the University of Southampton, gave two seminars in Podiatric Dermatology in October 2007.
Brief summary of any reviews undertaken within the Department
The Podiatry External Course Advisory Committee (PECAC) met a number of times in 2007, particularly focusing on issues related to professional placements and the new curriculum.
List of all PhDs and Professional Doctorates completed in 2007
Adam Bird, PhD, The Effect of Foot Orthoses on Electromyographic Activity of People with and without Low Back Pain
Foot orthoses are often advocated as an effective treatment for low back pain.
Their use is based on the existence of a number of theoretical mechanisms that describe the physiological connection between the feet and the back. In addition, there are a few positive clinical trials that have shown their effectiveness. Despite this, the underlying physiological and biomechanical reasons for improvements in low back pain with the use of foot orthoses remain unclear, largely due to a lack of well-defined experimental studies linking changes in foot posture to dynamic function of the low back. The primary aim of the research presented in this thesis was to determine whether different types of foot orthoses and wedging had a significant effect on various parameters of erector spinae and gluteus medius electromyographic (EMG) activity during walking. This was accomplished in a series of linked projects that evaluated people with and without low back pain. The results of this research indicate that some types of foot wedging and foot orthoses significantly effect EMG onset latency of erector spinae and gluteus medius, both in people with and without low back pain. In contrast, EMG amplitude measures were not significantly affected by the interventions. The findings of this research will contribute to the development of more effective foot orthoses to treat low back pain, and facilitate further clinical studies that may more clearly explain the link between foot function and low back pain.