The role and purpose of a clinical learning environment (CLE) is to help students become confident and independent practitioners. Exposure to clinical learning environments provides podiatry students with essential experiential learning opportunities and skills that are difficult to obtain elsewhere. Anecdotal evidence suggests that podiatry students encounter various obstacles in CLEs, although these obstacles have not been thoroughly described. This article, therefore, aims to understand and describe South African podiatry students' experiences of their clinical learning environment.

Multiple healthcare professions are involved in the management of plantar heel pain (PHP). Professional diversity can lead to varied practice and treatment choices. Understanding PHP management can aid clinical benchmarking, inform knowledge mobilisation strategies, and may support shared decision making between patients and referrers. This study explored the management of plantar heel pain by United Kingdom (UK) registered healthcare professionals.

This conceptual review is the first work to explore the concept of footwear needs. The review draws upon multidisciplinary literature to synthesise and formulate the first iteration of conceptual understanding of footwear needs.

Foot skin xerosis is common, particularly in older people and people with diabetes. Efficacy of emollient treatment of xerosis can be measured using skin hydration measurement devices. None of the devices currently available, however, have been explicitly assessed for their suitability for use on the skin of the foot. The plantar skin has a morphology and composition disparate from non-plantar skin sites, with a stratum corneum (SC) 16 times thicker than non-plantar skin SC. The shallow measurement depth of hydration measurement devices (0.015 mm for the Corneometer CM825) could be collecting data from incommensurate locations within plantar and non-plantar skin. The aim of this study is to examine how data collected using three hydration measurement devices with different measurement depths (Corneometer CM825, MoistureMeter D and MoistureMeter SC) correlate with tissue characteristics known to vary with skin hydration (hardness, elasticity, surface texture and patient perception) to inform their future use.

Diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) affects an estimated 110,000 people in Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa NZ) and is one of the leading causes of the national disease burden. While guideline-based care has been found to significantly reduce DFD burdens around the world, Aotearoa NZ lacks national DFD guidelines. Instead, Aotearoa NZ clinicians tend to use either international guidelines or fragmented regional pathways of varying quality which result in variability in clinical practice. Given the higher impacts of DFD on Māori and Pacific peoples, and those in socioeconomically deprived or rural areas, national DFD guidelines incorporating Indigenous knowledge are urgently needed in Aotearoa NZ. We call for the urgent development of Aotearoa NZ DFD guidelines and propose methods to co-develop evidence-based guidelines integrating clinical expertise with Indigenous perspectives. This approach will enhance consistency, improve health outcomes, and support equitable DFD care in Aotearoa NZ.

Deltoid ligament (DL) injuries are increasingly recognized in chronic ankle instability (CAI), drawing clinical attention to rotational ankle instability (RAI). Cadaveric studies have shown that RAI can increase ankle rotation; however, current examination methods for RAI remain limited. As they neither provide adequate insight into ligamentous structural damage nor clearly characterize the rotational instability. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristic rotational instability of RAI and, based on this indicator, investigate which postural control parameters best represent rotational instability and how these parameters can be quantified to assess diagnostic utility using postural control parameters and establish quantitative diagnostic thresholds.

A lower extremity amputation has traditionally been considered as a last resort treatment option for people with a diabetes-related foot ulcer (DFU). However, some people will opt for an earlier amputation to overcome the daily lifestyle challenges from ongoing conservative wound management. Even so, making the decision for non-emergency amputation is challenging due to the lack of clear recommendations or evidence-based resources. Therefore, this study aimed to gather recommendations from people with lived experience of a DFU or amputation, family members, health practitioners, and experts to guide decision-making for amputation due to diabetes.

Longitudinal data on pregnancy-related changes in plantar loading and balance are limited, particularly among Asian populations. This study investigated trimester-specific alterations in plantar pressure, static and dynamic balance, and pain-related functional interference in pregnant Taiwanese women.

To systematically review the evidence for physical (for e.g. strengthening) and mechanical (for e.g. foot orthoses) therapies for lower limb problems in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

The dual influences of velocity and footwear on ankle-foot energetics are particularly relevant for clinical populations who rely on footwear during ambulation. Although walking velocity influences energetic demands of foot structures, footwear may modify these relationships by restricting joint motion. This study aimed to characterize ankle-foot energetics while participants walked at a wide range of velocities while wearing supportive shoes.

Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) result in chronic ankle instability (CAI), causing ongoing instability. Although peroneal muscle weakness is documented in CAI, surface electromyography shows similar activation patterns between CAI and healthy individuals, suggesting structural rather than neural deficits. Ultrasound imaging (USI) uniquely enables noninvasive assessment of muscle morphology and quality through cross-sectional area and echogenicity measurements. However, previous USI studies examined peroneals only in nonweight-bearing positions, potentially missing functional deficits. This study examines peroneal muscle characteristics in CAI versus healthy individuals specifically during weight-bearing functional positions using USI.

This study investigated the quality and clinical outcomes of the British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (BOFAS) registry first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) arthrodesis pathway.

Volleyball is a sport that requires rapid changes in movements and high-intensity actions and skills. Ankle stability is a key factor in preventing injuries and enhance performance in volleyball players. This study evaluated the effects of prancing and galloping drills on ankle stability, agility, and fitness parameters in volleyball players.

Footwear influences performance and injury risk during change-of-direction (COD) movements. However, few studies have investigated how different shoe types influence COD biomechanics, particularly under ecologically valid conditions such as at sharp angles and under unanticipated conditions. This study examined the impact of barefoot, minimalist, and standard sport shoes on biomechanical and performance parameters during 90° COD tasks.

Acute Charcot neuroarthropathy (CN) is a rare but serious complication of diabetes that requires timely diagnosis and evidence-based management to prevent long-term disability. In regional or rural settings, delivering evidence-based care is particularly challenging due to systemic and contextual barriers.

Recalcitrant plantar fasciitis (PF) refers to persistent heel pain lasting ≥ 6 months despite appropriate conservative management, including physical therapy, orthotics, and pharmacological interventions. This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of corticosteroid injection (CI), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and their combination in patients with recalcitrant PF.

This study aims to investigate whether alterations in the lower extremity kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activity of individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) occur during landing with expected and unexpected inversion perturbations.

Intrinsic foot muscles and the plantar fascia are crucial for foot health, which diminishes with age and conditions such as chronic plantar fasciitis (PF). Ultrasound (US) is an accessible and cost-effective method for evaluating these structures. This study aims to assess the repeatability, reliability, and validity of plantar fascia thickness and flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) muscle measurements using US compared with MRI in individuals with and without PF.

Approximately one-third of the adult population is affected by hallux valgus (HV). Surgical interventions are successful in reducing deformity; however, postoperative complications are common. There is growing evidence for prehabilitation and rehabilitation strategies in orthopaedic surgeries. However, the effectiveness of such strategies in HV surgery is currently unknown. This systematic review aimed to synthesise and determine the quality of evidence for the effectiveness of physical and mechanical prehabilitation and postoperative rehabilitation interventions for improving outcomes following HV surgery.

Multisegment foot models have become increasingly important in biomechanical research and clinical gait analysis but often face limitations in defining joint positions. Often, they rely on simplified methods, such as using the midpoint between two markers to represent a joint, which lacks functional verification. In contrast, phenomenological angles, such as the medial arch angle, bypass joint center calculations, and offer sensitive, radiologically aligned indicators of foot mechanics. The Heidelberg functional foot model (HFFM) integrates functionally verified joint positions in combination with clinically relevant phenomenological measures, thereby enhancing clinical interpretability in gait analysis. The marker placement of the HFFM is based on the Heidelberg foot measurement method (HFMM). A four-segment model (shank, hindfoot, forefoot, and hallux) is defined. Anatomical coordinate systems are established via regression formulas derived from functional joint parameter determination. Kinematic angles are compared with radiological measures. Additionally, six clinically relevant angles of the HFMM are integrated into the HFFM. The method is applied to cavovarus (CV, 19 feet), equinovarus (EV, 31 feet), and typically developed feet (TD, 88 feet). EV feet show more pronounced hindfoot varus and forefoot adduction than CV and TD feet. Within the parameters adopted from the HFMM, EV feet exhibit increased subtalar inversion and a stronger medial arch than CV. Significant correlations are identified between hindfoot/shank flexion, forefoot/hindfoot flexion and medial arch, and radiological angles. The HFFM is sensitive for analyzing equinvarus and cavovarus deformities without applying static offsets due to the functional approach. It enables calculating kinetics to better understand the biomechanics of foot deformities.

Foot health and lower extremity function are important issues for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, relatively little is known about foot health among people with MS. The potential association between foot health and lower extremity function in particular has seldom been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to analyse the level of self-reported foot health and lower extremity function in people with MS and to identify possible associating factors.