Amanda Lau joined the ISEH in December 2014. She is the first podiatrist to join the Institute, complementing the ISEH’s growing team of specialists. We spoke to Amanda about her work.
ISEH: What attracted you to working at the ISEH?
AL: The ISEH is a great place for me because I’m used to working in multidisciplinary settings. In Melbourne I worked on the same floor as the foot and ankle consultants, and I believe we obtained the best results for our patients. Patients have commented that since the start of their journey everything’s been efficient. Part of the key to good health care is getting the patients’ experience right.
We had a patient from Bristol the other day. She had a scan done and we were able to facilitate an appointment for her. It saved her going home and coming back so having that access here is brilliant.
ISEH: How did you begin working in sports medicine?
AL: I started in Melbourne in sports clinics and also in orthopaedic surgery clinics. I had some great mentors during that time, which helped me define my interests so it feels like a natural progression to come to somewhere like this. The nurses here have been incredible along with the reception staff. Throughout the clinic, it’s very clean, it’s got enough space and a very professional atmosphere.
ISEH: What sort of conditions do you treat?
AL: I can have patients that have been referred from surgeons that do not want to operate, so they want to try a conservative measure of podiatry to see if we can reduce their pain or perhaps lengthen the time before surgery may be necessary. I’ve got patients that perhaps have gone into a pattern of movement that might be leading to wear and tear. I deal with both foot-related and more complex issues. I think that’s my specialty, looking outside the box.
ISEH: Can you tell us a bit more about what a podiatrist does?
AL: In my practice, podiatry is looking at the functional movement of the body. I believe that the body has to be able to move in three planes of motion. We need to be able to treat someone who perhaps might be running in a park, might have uneven surfaces on the floor, might have to run in a race and move around people. For them to be able to cope with all elements of the environment is crucial. So from my perspective, I want to gear them up in the best way with the correct footwear, perhaps addressing their movement patterns alongside their therapist, getting the right strength and the right exercise to help facilitate their recovery.
Footwear for me is very important as well. I use the analogy of a body having the right set of tyres, so shoes play a role in terms of getting the best treatment as well so that’s something I go through in detail with all my patients. We don’t want something that’s too flimsy or too solid, so that’s part of the package.
I do a full gait assessment with my patients. I look at a lot of drills; I look how they’re moving specific to their sport. I’ve taken the time to understand specific sports that I deal with, to know what they expect out of a front leg, perhaps in fencing or with a basketball or with how they’re loading and jumping.
ISEH: So it’s about understanding the different types of stresses that various sports place on the body, for example a fencer versus a basketballer, rugby player or footballer?
AL: Exactly.
ISEH: What are your plans for the future?
AL: I want to help the ISEH be a truly multidisciplinary setting, where patients can leave feeling they’ve experienced that ‘one-stop shop’. ‘Continued cohesiveness’ would be a good way of summing up how we all knock on each other’s doors freely to ask opinions, to get the best results for patients – I can already see it happening. For me personally, I want to continue to strive to be a therapist that looks outside the box, trying to do the best we can for our patients, to support them in their daily life and activities with the least pain and most comfort possible.
Read more about our consultants at the ISEH