Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

A podiatrist is a university qualified, registered healthcare professional who can assess, diagnose, manage and treat foot and lower limb conditions.

These conditions include musculoskeletal injuries, skin conditions, sporting injuries, foot arthritis, paediatric foot problems, the effects of chronic disease on lower limbs and feet along with many other injuries and ailments related to the feet and lower limbs.

Always ask your podiatrist questions. By asking questions you will get to know what your podiatrist is all about. A podiatrist who takes the time to answer questions and educate you on your condition and treatment and who takes the time to put your mind at ease should be the standard in care you deserve.

There is no requirement to supply a referral from your doctor to see a Podiatrist. With that said, if you have been referred, please bring a copy of the referral letter.

At Sole Podiatry you initial consultation will go for 45 minutes. This time allows your Podiatrist to thoroughly examine and understand your needs as well as providing the necessary time to assess your condition properly.

We will also develop a comprehensive treatment plan that will enable you to achieve your goal as soon as possible during this consultation.

A general consultation is a core podiatric service that focuses on dealing with a wide range of feet treatments and will include an expert diagnosis and a foot treatment. A general consultation can include any of the following treatments;

• Nail Care
• Ingrown Nail Treatment
• Corn Removal
• Hard Skin Removal
• Diabetic Foot Assessment
• Warts
• Tinea
• Other Skin Pathologies
• Foot & Ankle Pain & Injury Management

Routine care of nails and callouses is not painful. Some conditions such as ingrown toenails may be sensitive to treatment. We do our best to minimise pain and can also offer local anaesthetic injections when indicated.

The frequency and number of visitations will depend on the nature of the condition you are being treated for. The treatment and rehabilitation of conditions will vary widely however after an initial consultation your podiatrist will be able to provide a recovery framework for you.

Yes we regularly treat children.

Children are one of our larger patient demographics which is no surprise considering the rapid growth spurts they have and the levels of activity they participate in.

We conduct a thorough Paediatric assessment and screening on all children who present to Sole Podiatry.

During an initial consultation where we will perform a complete assessment of your child’s condition we will discuss the appropriate management plan to support your child’s growth. We can assess things like their gait (walking) pattern and biomechanical movement and muscle strength and flexibility.

We also take into consideration a family history of foot related problems. We can then often advise on exercises, footwear changes and possible orthotics to help alleviate growing pains in children

If you have diabetes it is recommended that you have your feet checked at least once a year by a podiatrist. Diabetes can lead to ulcers and other complications such as gangrene and it’s important to identify these problems early.

It is also advised that people with diabetes should refrain from self treatment of problematic nails, corns and calluses, as this will increase your risk of infection and potential long term complications.

Private health funds do cover ancillary health services that include podiatry. Whether your cover includes podiatry will depend on the level of cover that you have with your provider. Whether you are eligible to claim back your podiatry charges will depend on the scope of your insurance coverage.

Podiatry is considered an allied health profession by the Australian government and as a consequence, Medicare rebates are generally not available for visits to a podiatrist. For patients with chronic diseases and complex care needs there may be eligibility for a medicare rebate. For medicare benefits to be payable for podiatry services, a patient must be referred to a podiatrist by a GP. There are frequency limits to the number of visitations available however.

Whilst we do accept Veterans Affairs claims, your coverage will depend on the type of card you have. For Veterans with a Gold Card, you will be completely covered for all podiatry services. For Veterans with a White Card, DVA will fund podiatry services if they are required because of an accepted war or service related injury or disease. We recommend speak with DVA prior to a consultation to identify your level of entitlement. We will need a referral letter from your GP in order to claim through DVA.

Yes. We do accept Workcover patients, however we do not bill Workcover directly. You will be required to pay the full consultation fee on the day of your visit and can seek reimbursement from your insurance company.

Yes. We do accept TAC podiatry claims. We will bill TAC directly for consultations as long as you can supply an approval letter for Podiatry services.

The Chronic Disease Management Plan (Formerly EPC – enhanced primary care) program is a government that allows individuals with chronic medical conditions to receive Medicare rebates for podiatry services. Discuss with your GP to see if you are eligible.

We pride ourselves on offering the highest quality podiatry care, and as a result, we are unable to offer bulk billing on the Chronic disease management plan (formally EPC). Our consultation fees apply to all visits, and a Medicare rebate can be issued to you on the spot with a valid EPC referral. There is a small out of pocket expense on all appointments.

We accept payment via all types of Visa & Mastercard, HICAPS and cash payments.

We appreciate 24 hours notice for cancellations when possible. However we know the unexpected can often happen, so a courtesy phone call if you are going to miss an appointment is always appreciated.

An appointment which is cancelled or rescheduled with less than 24 hours notice, may incur a fee of 50% of the consult rate.

If you miss an appointment, without giving notice, then the full rate of the appointment may be charged.

Click here for more info.

Both our Keilor East and Pascoe Vale clinics have the following hours;

Monday – Thursday: 9:00am – 7:00pm

Friday: 9:00am – 6:00pm

Saturday: 9:00am – 1:00pm

Sunday: Closed

For more information about our clinics click here.

Yes we regularly clean and sterilise our equipment after each use and adopt industry standard best practices to ensure the safety and care of our patients at all times.

Yes we do offer a home visit service. There are additional costs with a home visit due to the time it takes to leave the clinic and visit your home. We do home visits in a 5km radius of either of our clinics. Please contact us to discuss your needs for a home visit for more information.

We can also arrange a visit to a nursing home, Please contact us to discuss further.

We have onsite parking, including disability parking, available on both our Pascoe Vale and Keilor East clinic premises.

Yes we have wheelchair access at both our Pascoe Vale and Keilor East clinics.

As registered health practitioners we are required to abide by our medical responsibility to maintain patient confidentiality unless expressly advised otherwise by the patient.

Unless advised expressly by you, your information will not be shared with anyone else unless legally required to do so. Click here for more info.

There could be a number of reasons for why you may experience pain when you are walking or exercising. Whether it be plantar fasciitis, corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, arthritis, diabetes, pregnancy, high arches, flat footedness or ill fitting shoes or there could be any number of reasons for why you are experiencing pain.

Due to the many small bones, ligaments, tendons and body tissue the diagnosis of the cause can be complex and difficult to pinpoint. Our podiatrists, will perform a detailed assessment of your foot to identify what is causing your pain and discomfort.

Heel pain and spurs can be treated with shockwave therapy, footwear changes and advice, strapping/taping, dry needling and orthotics. The method of treatment will be determined after an initial assessment of your condition.

The arch in your foot allows the foot to support your body weight in an erect posture with the least possible weight. Formed by the metatarsal and tarsal bones the arch is strengthened by a number of ligaments and tendons. The mechanics and movement of the arches is what enables us to move in a dynamic way on various surfaces. A Podiatrist is trained to assess the arch of the foot and it’s movement and identify any issues which could lead to injury or pain.

Ingrown toenails are one of the more common conditions that a podiatrist will treat. To better understand the pathology and how we treat ingrown toenails click here.

Your feet can definitely contribute to lower back pain. The pronation of your feet and ankles may cause your knees to turn inward. This in turn can impact your hips which will affect the way you walk. If not corrected, this may affect your spine leading to lower back pain.