Liverpool Foot and Ankle Clinic

07/05/2026

Beautiful on the lake tonight. Also colorful meteorological phenomenon above Connah’s Quay power station at sunset, a rainbow fragment.

06/05/2026

A huge thank you to Joel Catesby and everyone at Everton F.C. Academy for the incredibly thoughtful gesture of gifting a signed Everton shirt to our fracture clinic team.

Our plaster technicians, who just happen to be massive Everton fans, made a huge fuss of him from the moment he arrived, and were so happy with the gift it now adorns the plaster room wall! 💙⚽️ What a fantastic professional even at his young age.

It was a lovely gesture that really meant a lot to the whole clinic team. Seeing young athletes recover and get back doing what they love is always rewarding, and we wish Joel all the very best for the future both on and off the pitch. .southward

Orthopaedics FootAndAnkle ThankYou

21/04/2026

Great to be invited as a keynote speaker at the 22nd Brazilian Foot and Ankle Society Meeting 🇧🇷

A big thank you to Medical Produtos Medicos and for the invitation. It’s been really exciting to see their new collaboration with take shape. Having worked closely with Orthosolutions for a number of years, it’s great to see this partnership coming together.

Also have to say how impressive the work from the Cury Medical team has been. There’s a real energy and vision there, pushing foot and ankle forward through education and new ideas.

The meeting itself has been brilliant. Always good to catch up with old friends like, and just as enjoyable meeting new colleagues from across Brazil and beyond.

These are the kind of events that remind you how much we all gain from working together and sharing ideas.

Looking forward to seeing where this collaboration goes next.

09/04/2026

🚨 Why aren’t patients returning to sport after Achilles rupture? It’s not what you think.

Our latest work examining return to sport in a non-athletic population highlights a critical and often overlooked factor — psychology.

Well done to the team who have done really well getting this work finished

Despite what we might assume, it isn’t always strength, function, or even pain that holds patients back.

👉 In our cohort:
• Only 41% returned to sport
• Nearly 44% did not return at all
• The most common reason? Fear of re-rupture (41%)

What’s particularly striking is that many of these patients had good functional outcomes, yet still chose not to return.

This reinforces a key point:
➡️ Physical recovery does not equal psychological readiness

We found that:
• Psychological readiness scores strongly correlated with return to sport
• But importantly, some patients had normal function and still didn’t return — purely due to fear

💡 So what does this mean for practice?

If we focus only on strength, range of motion, and rehab protocols, we are missing a major determinant of outcome.

We need to:
✔️ Assess psychological readiness routinely
✔️ Address fear of re-injury early
✔️ Integrate psychologically-informed rehabilitation into standard care

Because ultimately…

👉 The tendon may heal, but confidence doesn’t always follow.

Read the paper through the link https://lnkd.in/gNRciDet

ReturnToSport Orthopaedics MSK PatientOutcomes

04/04/2026

Really grateful to have been invited onto .chat Dean’s Chat for Episode 314 – “Insatiable Curiosity and Growing Through Discomfort.”

A huge thank you to Dr Jensen and Dr Richey for such a thoughtful and engaging conversation, and to the team behind the podcast for the warm welcome.

We covered a lot of ground, from the structure of UK surgical training to the role of mentorship, imposter syndrome, and the importance of continually questioning “why” in clinical practice. It was a great opportunity to reflect on how much of our growth, personally and professionally, comes from stepping outside our comfort zone.

I’m particularly passionate about the role of mentorship, and it was a privilege to share how those relationships have shaped my own journey, and continue to do so.

Thanks also to the American Podiatric Medical Association for supporting the episode.

If you’re early in your career, or even well established, I’d encourage you to stay curious, keep asking questions, and embrace the uncomfortable moments… they’re often where the most meaningful progress happens.

🔗 Have a listen here: https://lnkd.in/gecerGQf

ProfessionalDevelopment

22/03/2026

🔵 Delighted to be speaking at the 3rd London Orthopaedic Meeting 2026

I’m very much looking forward to joining an outstanding faculty to contribute to this year’s programme, which continues to push forward orthopaedic practice through education, collaboration, and innovation.

🗣 My session: Hallux valgus and flatfoot
In this talk, I’ll be exploring the interplay between these conditions, sharing practical surgical strategies, and discussing evolving concepts that can help optimise patient outcomes in everyday clinical practice.

This meeting brings together leading surgeons, trainees, and allied healthcare professionals for two days of high-quality scientific discussion, shared learning, and meaningful professional connection.

📍 Chicago Booth School of Business, London
📅 4–5 June 2026

⸻
🎟 Complimentary delegate places are now available:
https://ukmeded.com/register-as-a-delegates/

📢 Abstract submissions are OPEN
Submit via: [email protected]
(300 words + up to 2 images)

⸻
📚 CPD accredited
📆 Worth planning study leave early

Looking forward to seeing many colleagues there.

Surgery CallForAbstracts Robbie Ray Liverpool Foot and Ankle Clinic Bone and Joint Centre

15/03/2026

Great to see this educational booklet now completed in collaboration with UK Ltd .

It is a privilege to be involved in implant design. As surgeons, we see first-hand where existing systems can create challenges in theatre. Being able to translate those experiences into implant design is incredibly rewarding, with the aim of mitigating known problems, simplifying surgical workflow, and hopefully improving patient outcomes.

Developing implants, however, is only one part of the process. Sharing the surgical thinking behind them is just as important.

The guide brings together a number of practical tips, tricks, and surgical principles that help achieve accurate fibular reduction and safe syndesmotic fixation in ankle fracture surgery, and why the Volition plating system has had these built in, including:

🔹 Restoring fibular length, rotation, and alignment
🔹 Understanding the anatomical basis for syndesmotic fixation corridors
🔹 The importance of direct visualisation of the anterior incisura, rather than relying solely on fluoroscopy
🔹 Techniques to avoid fibular shortening
🔹 Managing Wagstaffe fragments and AITFL repair
🔹 How plate geometry can assist with safer and more reproducible fixation

The booklet also explains the thinking behind the twisted plate design and polyaxial fixation options, aligning implant geometry with native fibular anatomy and safe syndesmotic trajectories.

A huge thank you to Dr. Edward Oates for the outstanding anatomical illustrations which bring these concepts to life.

Education has always been central to innovation in orthopaedic surgery. If new implants are going to improve care, surgeons need to understand the anatomy, biomechanics, and surgical workflow behind them.

If anyone would like a copy, please feel free to message me.

SurgicalEducation Innovation Orthosolutions LiverpoolFootAndAnkle

02/03/2026

📄 New Publication | From Prize Essay to Interdisciplinary Science

I’m delighted to share our latest published article in Footwear Science:
“The evolution of the human foot and its relation to foot and ankle dysfunction.” https://lnkd.in/efpp452D

This paper has a long and satisfying lineage. It began as a Robert Jones Gold Medal Award–winning essay , exploring how evolutionary adaptations of the human foot may predispose to many of the pathologies we manage daily in foot and ankle practice.

What makes this publication particularly special is how that original work has since evolved through collaboration. Working closely with , an award-winning anthropologist, allowed us to strengthen the evolutionary and biomechanical foundations of the original essay and properly integrate them with modern clinical science. That interdisciplinary input was crucial in moving this from an orthopaedic perspective alone to a genuinely translational piece spanning anthropology, biomechanics, imaging, and clinical pathology.

The final article builds on classic concepts from Morton and Lake, but updates them using contemporary tools such as weight-bearing CT and three-dimensional analysis, helping to explain why common deformities of the forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot recur so consistently in modern populations, and how footwear may amplify or mitigate these risks.

I’m very grateful to all the co-authors across Liverpool ( ), Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital ( ) NHS Trust. A special mention to Kashif Ahmad for working so hard to get this over the line. It’s a reminder that some of the most meaningful advances happen when clinical questions are examined through a broader scientific lens.

Always happy to discuss the paper or hear others’ thoughts.

AcademicSurgery FootwearScience

28/02/2026

27/02/2026

Huge congratulations to my colleague and our Trauma Clinical Director for the Liverpool Trauma & Orthopaedic Service ( ), Miss .stevenson.121

What Helene is championing through her national work with the Royal College Surgeons Edinburgh is a thoughtful, ambitious, and much-needed piece of work that sets out a clear vision for advocacy, mentorship, leadership representation, and cultural change across surgery and dentistry.

This is about culture as much as capability. Creating an environment where talent defines success, where mentorship and advocacy are embedded rather than optional, and where future generations of surgeons can see role models who look like them and lead like them. That matters, for individuals, for teams, and ultimately for the patients we serve.

Helene brings this ethos into her clinical and leadership roles every day, grounding national advocacy in the realities of trauma care and surgical training. Liverpool Trauma & Orthopaedics is fortunate to have leadership that not only delivers excellent care, but actively works to make surgery a more inclusive and sustainable profession.

Very well done, Helene. This work truly matters.

👏

RCSEd Liverpool