Online Podiatry
Access Foot Pain Health Experts Online
With our busy lives accessing professional health services is not always convenient, which is why Melbourne Podiatry Clinic proudly offer online/virtual podiatry services to all of our clients, both in Melbourne and around Australia.
Online or Virtual Podiatry consultations allow you to access experienced podiatrists from the comfort of your own home. Never before has it been easier to seek clarity on your foot issue, get you out of pain and create a plan to get you moving again. This is the next evolution of specialised podiatry care.
What does an online podiatry consult look like?
We understand that being in pain can be a frustrating experience and it is something you don't need to put up with. We are able to cut through all the vast amounts of information on the internet, give you clarity on the cause of your pain and then provide solutions. Our focus is to understand your treatment goals so we can work with you to get back to the activities you love!
Online podiatry consults will help to get you out of pain fast from the comfort of your own home!
Prior to your online consult:
- You will receive an online form prior to your appointment to fill in all your relevant information
- Ensure you have downloaded Physiapp to your mobile phone
- If you are a runner, you can pre-record some video of you running to allow us to assess your running biomechanics
During your consult, we will:
- Discuss your treatment goals (what you want to change)
- What’s wrong (the likely diagnosis)
- Why it is there (education of the root cause of your issue)
- A personalised treatment plan to achieve your goals
We will then discuss the recommended treatment options for you based on your diagnosis and give you a clear plan that would be no different if you were seen in the clinic.
How does it work?
A private 1-on-1 consultation is conducted via video on your mobile phone - you will receive a link prior to your appointment. It is a simple, easy to use platform that enables us to clearly show you demonstrations of assessment tests to better understand your problem. This is no different to what we would do in a normal consult.
Please ensure you are in a quiet room with good lighting that you will be able to comfortably move around in if required.
What can we treat in an online podiatry consultation?
We have successfully treated people with conditions such as:
- Heel pain
- Plantar Fasciitis/(Plantar Fasciosis)
- Achilles tendinitis/tendinopathy
- Forefoot Pain/Neuroma
- Arthritis/Joint Pain
- Shin splints
- Knee pain
- Running Injuries
- Ingrown Toenails
- Sports Injuries
How can we provide treatment for heel pain online?
You may be surprised to learn that online treatment is one of the most successful ways to treat heel pain/plantar fasciitis or achilles tendinitis. The reason behind this is that hands-on treatments tend to provide short term, symptom relief without resolving the issue completely. Whilst these are important techniques to help reduce your pain, the best way to get you back to activity pain-free is through a structured rehabilitation program. We have years of experience in treating plantar heel pain, plantar fasciitis and achilles tendinitis/tendinopathy issues. These issues can be simply treated through appropriate exercise and movement programs.
When conducting an online heel pain relief consult, the first priority is to get a clear diagnosis of your injury. We will run you through a range of tests that may also involve a referral for X-rays or Ultrasound. Once we have established the extent of your injury we can provide appropriate pain-management strategies, such as offload and taping (specific to your concern), and then prescribe a tailored rehabilitation plan to get you moving well and feeling great. We understand there may be occasions that you will need some hands-on treatments such as shockwave therapy or dry needling and this can certainly be arranged in-clinic if required.
How can we provide treatment for skin and nail conditions online?
Corns, warts and ingrown toenails are very common complaints we see. It is fundamentally important to correctly diagnose your issue prior to any treatment and this can be easily done online. Ingrown nails can be assessed online to either prevent an infection from occurring or to treat a current infection as soon as possible to avoid serious complications. Via virtual podiatry we can assess your toenail, describe immediate self-treatment options for you (under podiatry supervision) and see you in-clinic or refer you to a GP if further treatment is required.
We are unable to provide general skin and nail online but can provide solutions for corns, wart and other skin complaints.
Why use Melbourne Podiatry Clinic?
Melbourne Podiatry Clinic has been providing quality podiatry services for many years and now we are able to offer our combined knowledge and experience to a broader community. We are continuously looking for better ways to enable more people to access our services and Online Podiatry provides easy access to our expert podiatrists without having to come into our clinic.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I claim private health for my online podiatry appointment?
Yes, private health insurance rebates are now available for telehealth consultations. Check with your provider.
What does an online podiatry session cost?
An online podiatry consult at Melbourne Podiatry Clinic is $99 for an initial and $81 for a review for a 30 minute appointment, a significant reduction from our usual costs.
How do we communicate online?
Sessions are performed using on your mobile phone. You will receive a link prior to your appointment that will open the video consult in your browser.
How can a podiatrist treat me online?
You may be wondering how online podiatry services actually work, because the general perception of what a podiatrist does is hands on therapy work with you, the patient, on the treatment chair. And if this was still the majority of our role as podiatrist then you would be absolutely correct, however there is now a large body of evidence to show that active rehabilitation (exercise therapy) is the most effective tool to ensure you become empowered to be pain free long term.
How do I pay for my online podiatry consultation?
We use Medipass, a secure online payment system following your appointment or payment over the phone. Or you can pay online when you book your appointment.
Can I claim medicare for online podiatry consults?
Yes you can! Plus we can bulk bill these for you. Click here to see if you are eligible. You can also use your NDIS funding. We currently only have the capacity to work with self managed and plan managed NDIS clients.
Our partners, Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy are also offering Online Physio consultations are all your sports physiotherapy needs!
Coronavirus (COVID-19):
With the rise of Coronavirus (COVID-19), we anticipate an increase in the demand for online podiatry services to provide access to treatment solutions whilst protecting you from the possible risk of infection through community transmission. Over the coming weeks, we are looking to expand our scope for online/virtual podiatry consultations to respond to the rising demand for these services.
If you would like to find out more how we can help you during this time of uncertainty and confusion, please contact us on (03) 9993 0461.