Des Moines University researcher earns two national awards

(Des Moines, IA) – Dr. Roy Lidke, clinical associate professor of podiatric medicine at Des Moines University, was recently awarded first place in the poster abstract competition sponsored by the American Podiatric Medical Association. His winning poster presentation, “Valgus Posted Orthotics Provide Sustained Mechanical Unloading in Knee Osteoarthritis” included a $1,500 award. He also received second place for his scientific presentation, “The relationship between Foot Center of Pressure and Medical Knee Osteoarthritis.”
The presentations complement each other, explaining the forces at work on the feet that in turn affect the knees. His poster presentation investigates manipulating the foot through shoe inserts to redistribute the forces that aggravate knee osteoarthritis.
“We’re looking for long-term effects of say five years or more, what the effects are on the knee and whether changes of force inside the knee are sustainable,” Dr. Lidtke says.
The related oral presentation focuses on distribution of pressure across the bottom of the foot and its effects on the knee. It examines the forces, or pressure, across the bottom of the foot for someone with knee osteoarthritis compared to someone without osteoarthritis.
“What we’re looking at is whether can you give people something for the under the foot [orthotics] so you don’t need to perform knee surgery,” he says.
Awards are nothing new to Dr. Lidtke. Four times he has received the prestigious William J. Stickel Award for Research Papers on Podiatric Medicine—two Gold Awards and two Silver Awards—from the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association (JAPMA).
Roy Lidtke, D.P.M., C.Ped., FACFAOM, is a 1991 graduate of Des Moines University’s College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery.
To find out more about Des Moines University, visit www.dmu.edu.