Rearfoot / Ankle · Sports Medicine · Trauma · Standard
Pickup Game
Podiatric surgery residency interview case. Work through it the way you would at an interview: take the history, ask for the exam and imaging, then commit to a diagnosis and plan.
Chief complaint
"I felt a pop in the back of my leg playing basketball."
42-year-old male seen in the ER with 6/10 pain in the posterior right leg.
History of present illness
Pushing off to jump during a pickup basketball game about 2 hours ago, he heard and felt a 'pop' in the back of the right leg, as if someone had kicked him. He has been limping since.
- Pain 6/10 at the back of the heel/lower leg
- Denies any previous pain or trauma to the area
- No numbness or tingling
- No recent fluoroquinolone use or steroid injections
Questions a strong candidate asks at this step
- Mechanism (eccentric load/push-off), pop, 'kicked in the leg' sensation
- Prior Achilles pain (tendinosis)
- Fluoroquinolones, corticosteroid injections or oral steroids
- Ability to walk / push off
- Weekend-warrior activity level
Present the rest of the case
Past history, exam, imaging, assessment, plan and discussion questions, with model answers, are in the interactive trainer. The diagnosis is kept there on purpose so you can practice committing to one.