Dermal Filler of the feet

About the Course

Led by course tutor Martin Harvey, this course explores a range of licensed filler products available for immediate use by trained podiatrists. Although dermal fillers are designed for injection, they are classified as medical devices rather than prescription medications and can be purchased freely. Delegates will receive demonstrations on the properties, mechanisms, and clinical applications of these substances in podiatry.

Martin has had an abiding interest in both the pharmacology and techniques of injection therapies in podiatry since becoming one of the first Podiatrist Supplementary Prescribers in the early 2000’s as soon as the law permitted this. In 2007, in collaboration with the noted Australian MSK injection specialist the late Dr Margaret Taylor, he developed the first UK workshop for glucose and lidocaine Prolotherapy using the techniques developed by American physician Dr G. S. Hacket  in the 1950’s, which have become a staple of American MSK medicine. In 2009 to 2011 Martin was a member of the UK Department of Health working party set up to design and implement independent prescribing for podiatrists, plus he was an advisor to the UK Single National Prescribing Framework. Subsequently he has served as an auditor on independent prescribing university programs. He has lectured on the subject of foot injections and the substances used to both European medical specialists and Canadian podiatrists, as well as running numerous UK workshops. An early user and promoter of dermal filler injections in the foot, he has continued to refine his techniques and the agents used.

The current workshops cover only UK licensed mainstream medical device fillers from a range of the leading suppliers to the UK aesthetic industry, plus demonstrating his delivery techniques that have been refined by decades of experience. A range of hypodermic needles are demonstrated so that delegates fully understand how the filler agents can be placed using these with a precision and safety that makes needles the optimum method of choice as opposed to less accurate techniques.

The course also revises effective local anaesthesia (LA) nerve block techniques in the foot and ankle as well as giving a useful LA update covering the features and pharmacology of all of the agents available to HCPC registered podiatrists with POM-A. The day additionally contains a demonstration of the use of point-of-care (POCUS) modestly priced ultrasound devices which can be useful for the development of guided injection skills with further study, but all injections do not require ultrasound guidance for them to be performed safely and accurately.

Delegates completing the day who may want subsequent one-to-one training on their own patients can also should they wish book subsequent onsite mentoring days from an Institute trainer at their own clinics.