Regular Articles

The Clinical Visit

The Clinical Visit

Comprising three distinctive parts, the clinician uses the five senses to guide the process–one might take the humourous view of Sherlock Holmes or Poirot in determining evidence from visual observation and verbal questioning. I hope these small introductory articles provide some interest. The first in the series covers observation as in the Physician’s Eye.

read more
Can an Ingrown Nail Kill?

Can an Ingrown Nail Kill?

You should not experience more pain than needed, as you would expect from dental treatment. If the clinician is unable to provide an anaesthetic, then ask to see someone who can provide this service. Only registered people trained as podiatrists or medically qualified people can provide local anaesthetics. All registered podiatrists have been trained in using local anaesthetics from 1988 onwards. Pain is the giveaway, tenderness to touch

read more
How Long Does Bunion Surgery Last?

How Long Does Bunion Surgery Last?

Fusion is a safer bet than most alternatives and offers better longevity. Third surgeries seldom come without loss of function. More surgery involves deeper tissue scarring, and even then, a joint-sparing operation could lead to limited joint movement. Minimal incisional surgery (MIS) appeals to many for obvious reasons, but the follow-up is not as well presented as other surgeries and is limited to specific criteria.  MIS is available and has advantages. New screw systems allow surgical placement through keyholes under X-ray-guided control. 

read more
New Bunion Guide for Patients

New Bunion Guide for Patients

This new edition is without doubt an extensive tour de force of all thing’s bunion. 

David Tollafield wisely teamed up with Dr Tim Kilmartin bringing together two experts with 60 years’ experience of caring for patients and fixing bunions.  It’s fair to say few, if any, will have contributed more to the development of podiatric surgery and bunion correction in the UK.  And what a result, this book leaves no stone unturned in helping patients understand what a bunion is, how to manage the condition themselves before delving into the surgical options, surgical risks and complications.

read more
The Negative Benefits of Exercise

The Negative Benefits of Exercise

Part of the tale clarifies the importance of proper diagnosis in directing correct treatment. But how many patients are fobbed off? NHS versus the independent sector springs to mind; both have their value and benefits. Who do you consult?

For the most part, it would be the GP. If it were purely medical, that would be my route, but because I was a lower limb MSK specialist, I knew my way around the UK healthcare system better than most. I am over a year on today, and my shoulder is 90+% better, and the treatment was excellent.

read more
Fiction to Aid Real-Life Conditions

Fiction to Aid Real-Life Conditions

Consider the common problem of repetitive wrist strain. Anna goes to her doctor, who is an okay man but too laid back compared to the GP who dealt with my patient when I first experienced the condition. The doctor decided the actual patient, who was fourteen, was mad and all in her head, so he sent her to a psychiatrist. In David’s latest book—Fatal Contracts, we are dealing with consent—under his pen name R.C.Blyth, he uses fiction to drive the narrative and inform people about a little known condition still very much alive.

read more
The Ageing Foot

The Ageing Foot

We are made from interactive organs and a skeleton combined with a blood and nerve supply controlled by the brain. There are no anatomical parts which fail to display a lack of weakening. Some do better than others. Sitting in a place from which to observe our fellow man, we see all types of movement. Children running around with a complete lack of pain or concern for weakened muscles slowing pace, lack of breath or poor reflexes. The foot is an organ of the body as it comes as a complete package controlled but all the above organs. However, it is a functional part of the anatomy, which means it moves, has to take load and reflects medical diseases.

read more