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Department
of Podiatry
Podiatry
Involvement in Oxfam Trailwalker Event 2003
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The
inaugural Melbourne Oxfam Trailwalker was a massive fundraising
event organised by Oxfam
Community Aid Abroad, which supports disadvantaged communities
in 30 overseas countries and indigenous Australia.
The
event involved teams of four people in the first weekend of
April (2003) walking a distance of 100km within a 48 hour deadline.
The event attracted over 250 corporate and recreational teams.
The winnning team completed the gruelling event in just under
11.5 hours! The starting point was in north-east of Melbourne
(Ferny Creek) and finished in Marysville.
Eighteen undergraduate podiatry students and 5 podiatrists,
co-ordinated by George
Murley, volunteered to treat participants in the event as
part of the medical team.
The podiatry students and podiatrists were located at a series
of checkpoints along the 100km trail. They were involved in
the diagnosis and treatment of various foot problems encountered
by the walkers, all through the day and late into the night.
Common pathologies included blisters of many shapes and sizes
(with a nice couple of examples below!), nail trauma, and various
musculoskeletal pathologies including tendinopathy, joint inflammation
and some likely stress fractures.
Staff and students from the LTU Podiatry Department would like
to thank
Allied Health Industries
(and especially Michelle Black) for providing a generous supply
of materials and medicaments (including padding, tapes and dressings)
for the event. Thanks also to the podiatry students and podiatrists
who volunteered their time and expertise.
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One of
the teams at the finish line in Marysville.
Podiatry
students hard at work.
An aspirated
and debrided heel blister.
The high-tech
treatment area.
Another
painful blister on one of the walkers.
Some
of the podiatry students and George Murley (middle).
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