This concerns the influence of the foot on sports injuries and performance. Podiatric Sports Medicine is part of a larger discipline- that of Sports Medicine, which include Sport Medicine Doctors, Physiotherapists as well as other interests professionals.

The foot forms the mechanical platform for most sports played in New Zealand. Whether its recreational running, Rugby or Netball, the fact remains if your feet arn't right, you're not.

With around 26 bones the foot performs two functions; that of a shock absorber and of a rigid lever. During what we call “mid stance”, the foot flattens to spread the load of the body above it. At toe off, it stiffens to allow the body to propulse.

Needless to say, foot function plays a big part in sports and performance. The interesting thing is that while we know a lot in this area, there is still a lot more to learn.- That's what makes Podiatric Sports Medicine so interesting!

For more information on Podiatric Medicine:

Journal; The physician and sportsmedicine; http://www.physsportsmed.com

Orthotics; http://www.feet.org.au/images/publications/Orthobroch.pd

American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine; http://www.aapsm.org

Australasian Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine http://www.aapsm.org.au/