Podiatrists can play a special role as part of the coverage at many different sporting events, espeiacilly at endurance events like the marathon where the foot is subjected to a lot of load. Blisters and other injuries are common in these types of events. A recent episode of the podiatry livestream, PodChatLive talked about the role of podiatry at different types of sporting events. The guest that the hosts talked to in that episode was Mandy Abbott who is a lecturer in podiatry at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, the United Kingdom. She is also the Clinical Director for Special Olympics Great Britain and was Lead Podiatrist for the Commonwealth Games in 2014, the European Games in 2015 as well as the World Indoor Athletics in 2018. These roles gave her a very special insight into the role that podiatry can play in providing services at these types of sport events. The episode discussed about how best to prepare yourself for being part of a multidisciplinary team at these big games or events. It is important to understand acute injury’s management and be very skilful at strapping techniques. Mandy gave insights into the sort of things which Podiatry tends to manage at such events, and the personal/professional value in doing such events.
Mandy Abbott’s main interests are in sports injuries and lower limb biomechanics. She works with many sports professionals including number of football teams. In the role as a Clinical Director for Special Olympics, Mandy has been involved in national and world games and has been able to involve the students in foot screening of athletes with intellectual disabilities. Her research interests are in the effects of foot orthotics on human movement. Mandy has been awarded her Fellowship of the College of Podiatrists in Podiatric Medicine from the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists.