Carlie Altmann (UniSA) is the 2022 recipient of SEPA's Research Scholarship.
In this Q&A, read about Carlie's journey in podiatry so far, as well as her research into chronic ankle instability.
Tell us about your career in podiatry so far
I fell into podiatry after just missing out on the Year 12 score to get into physio… After thinking that I would do one year and then transition into physio, I quickly found out that podiatry was a bit of an “untapped” field, especially in the sport and exercise sphere. With that, I could see a pathway to be an expert in foot and lower leg injury prevention and management.
I started my career split in multiple ways – government paeds position, multi-d sports medicine clinic, and university teaching. I have now transitioned to working predominantly at sportsmed, a multi-d sports clinic in Adelaide. I have a passion for adolescents in sport, and women in sport of all stages. My clinical load now predominantly comprises of sporty kids and dancers, along with being the consultant podiatrist for Port Adelaide AFLW and the Thunderbirds netball.
Why did you decide to embark on a PhD after a successful career as a clinician?
I do both! I love new challenges and having a few different things on the go. At around 2 years out of podiatry, I was searching for something “a little more” and, along with a physio colleague, put forward an honours project to co-supervise. The goal was to further the evidence base of pre-pointe preparation in young dancers. Sara Jones, who was head of podiatry at the time at UniSA, came across the proposal and convinced me to do it myself!
Once I had finished and loaded back into my clinical work, I quickly became curious again. I was constantly baffled by how little research was out there and how little is known about certain clinical presentations. My curiosity peaked when I was working in post-surgical rehab for lateral ankle repairs, especially when patients were continuing to report feelings of instability with VERY stable ankles…
What is your PhD project about?
I became curious as to why some people would sprain their ankle (and in some cases, quite severely) and return to activity with no ill effects! Sometimes they would not even remember which side it was. Then others would feel like they needed to be taped or braced for any activity, even when they had no laxity on testing. Given I have a clinical interest in adolescents, I would find that this could have lifelong effects on their participation in exercise and sport. From this, my PhD was born:
“My ankle always feels like it will give way” – investigating perceptual contributions to chronic ankle instability in adolescents.
How do you think your research might help the Sports & Exercise Podiatry profession in the future?
I hope that my research will have a multifaceted effect on Sports and Exercise Podiatry:
- Highlight that podiatrists are a profession that is proficient in managing ankle injuries and contribute to the body of evidence.
- Contribute adolescent ankle sprain data to the body of evidence and help us better understand this demographic.
- Give some insight into the sensorimotor and perceptive influence on lateral ankle sprains.
- Allow for more targeted rehab plans for those who may have a dominance of sensory-perceptual factors playing a role in return to function post ankle sprain.
Applications for the 2024 SEPA Research Scholarship are now open. Apply now.
