The cheapest thing that might work, tried first.
Most plantar heel pain responds to a specific loading program, a shoe change and an $80 off-the-shelf insert. We try that first and measure whether it is working before anyone mentions a $650 custom orthotic.
How this practice runs
Four facts about how appointments here are booked and priced. None of them is a promise about how your foot will turn out — nobody can promise you that.
Treating from the same Gympie Rd rooms.
The cheapest device we try before anything custom.
Typical wait for a first appointment.
Slots held free every day for diabetic foot emergencies.
What walks through the door
Six things covers most of it. If yours is not on the list it is still worth ringing.
Heel & tendon pain
The most common reason people ring.
- Plantar heel pain. The morning-step pain that has been there for months. A loading program and a shoe change, tried before an $80 insert is even mentioned.
- Achilles pain. Mid-portion and insertional. Graded loading, reviewed at every visit rather than left to run on its own.
Nails, skin & kids
Usually the quickest fixes in the practice.
- Ingrown toenails. Conservative care, or a permanent procedure under local anaesthetic in one appointment.
- Children’s feet & growing pains. Heel pain, flat feet, in-toeing — most of it is normal development, checked against the usual milestones.
Diabetes & load injuries
Where getting it right matters most.
- Diabetes foot assessment. Annual nerve and circulation testing, bulk billed with a GP care plan.
- Shin pain & stress injuries. Training load and footwear reviewed before anything else.
We work up from the cheapest thing that might work
Custom orthotics are a legitimate device for some feet, and also the most over-prescribed product in this profession, because they carry the biggest margin. So we start at step one and only move up if a re-assessment shows it is not enough.
Loading program & footwear change
A specific exercise program and a written list of shoe models. No device, no charge beyond the visit.
Off-the-shelf insert
A prefabricated insert, heat-moulded and modified in the room. $80, fitted the same appointment.
Semi-custom device
A prefabricated shell with custom posting, for when step two nearly worked. $290, ready in about a week.
Full custom orthotic
A 3D scan and a shell made for your foot specifically. $650, for genuinely unusual feet.
Diabetes foot checks, bulk billed
Nerve testing
Monofilament and vibration testing to find any loss of sensation early.
Circulation
Pulses, doppler and toe pressures — poor blood supply changes the whole management plan.
Pressure mapping
Shows where your foot is loading hardest, which is where a callus and then a wound tends to start.
A risk rating
Low, moderate or high, with a review interval to match and a copy for your GP.
Your podiatrists
Three podiatrists, each with their own caseload. Nobody here earns anything extra when you buy a device.
Dean Halloran
BPodiatry · AHPRA
Aisha Kabir
BHlthSc (Podiatry) · AHPRA
Rhys Tamati
BPodiatry · AHPRA
Mon – Thu
Straight answers
The things people ask before they book.
Will you try to sell me orthotics?
No, and the order in which we introduce each option is published on this site so you can see the process yourself. Nobody here earns a commission on a device — we start at the cheapest option that might work and only escalate if a re-assessment shows it is not enough.
Do I need a GP referral?
Not to book. Podiatry is a first-contact profession in Australia. A referral matters if you want a Chronic Disease Management plan, which gives you five subsidised visits a calendar year and is what makes the diabetes foot assessment bulk billed rather than $130.
Does my heel pain need a scan?
Almost never. Plantar heel pain is a clinical diagnosis and an ultrasound rarely changes the treatment plan. We image when we suspect something else, not to confirm what the examination already showed.
How long until it stops hurting?
That depends on the diagnosis, and you will be given an honest estimate once you have actually been examined, not before. Progress is reviewed at every visit — if it is not improving on schedule, we say so and change the plan rather than continuing on the same track.
Can you treat an ingrown toenail permanently?
Yes. A partial nail avulsion with phenol is done here under local anaesthetic in a single appointment for $340. It permanently narrows the offending edge of the nail and takes about a fortnight of simple dressings.
First appointment usually inside two days
No referral needed. Two slots are held free every day for diabetic foot emergencies.