This encyclopedia on the pathology of the foot is to some extent a response to the wishes expressed in 1978 by the organizers of the "Premieres Journees Europeennes de Podologie" in Paris; in effect, they advocated a close collaboration between the diverse specialities of medicine and orthopedics in the field of the study and treatment of affections of the foot with a view to an ever closer collaboration for the well-being of the patients. An increasing number of patients seek the help of the rheumatologist or orthopedist for disorders of the feet, the clinician is then confronted either with a diagnostic problem when the foot is the organ primarily affected, or a therapeutic problem when a sufferer from a well defined rheumatic disease is led to consult him for persistent pain. Even if the pathology of the feet has often been neglected by the medical profession, whereas the hands have received every attention, many European rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons have for long addressed this problem. The names of some of the pioneers in this subject during the 1950S and 60S will be familiar: EGL Bywaters and A St Dixon in Great Britain, WS Vainio in Finland, K Tillmann in Germany, AS Denis and S Braun in France. Further, one should not ignore the considerable contribution to our knowledge of podology provided by the Monographies de podologie published by Masson under the supervision of Lucien Simon and his team at Montpellier: some ten volumes in all.

1 Anatomy of the foot and ankle

2 Clinical examination of the foot and ankle
3 Radiography of the foot
4 Sectional imaging of the foot and ankle: CT and MRI
5 Nuclear medicine in foot pathology
6 Correct use of auxiliary investigations in foot and ankle disorders
7 The neuropathic foot
8 Septic arthritis of the foot and ankle
9 The diabetic foot
10 Metabolic arthropathies of the foot
11 The rheumatoid foot
12 Surgery of the rheumatoid foot: indications
13 Foot involvement in spondylarthropathies
14 Algodystrophies of the foot and ankle
15 Valgus flat foot and tarsal fusions
16 Pes cavus in the adult
17 Pathology of the first ray A. Hallux valgus
17 Pathology of the first ray B. Hallux rigidus
18 Disorders of the sesamoid bones
19 Some reflections on the first ray
20 Static pathology of the forefoot (Morton syndrome excluded)
21 Morton's metatarsalgia
22 Painful heel syndromes of mechanical origin
23 Tendinopathy of the calcaneal tendon
24 Ankle tendon pathology (excluding calcaneal tendon disorders)
25 Entrapment neuropathies (excluding Morton's neuroma)
26 Stress fractures of the foot and ankle
27 Sprains of the ankle
28 Ankle sprain sequelae (excluding reflex sympathetic algodystrophy)
29 Current concepts in the treatment of acute and chronic lateral ankle instability
30 Bone tumors, dystrophies and rare bone lesions of the foot
31 Overuse syndromes of the foot during running
32 Foot orthoses
33 General ideas about footwear
34 The orthopedic shoe.