Tel: 08 8271 4030
Unley Medical Centre
160 Unley Road,
Unley SA 5061
FAQ's & FACTS
What does a podiatrist do?
We treat pathologies of the foot and lower limb. At your first visit we will discuss with you the nature of your problem and design a treatment and maintenance program for you. This may include a once only visit, a treatment program, personalised fitting for orthotics, a specially designed exercise program or possibly liase with your Doctor, Specialist or another allied Health Professional to obtain the best outcome for your foot health.
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Do I need a referral from my GP?
No. You can make an appointment the same way you do with your GP as podiatrists aren't classified as “specialists” under the medical referral system. Simply call our friendly reception staff and they will make a time for you to see one of our podiatrists.
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Does my Private Health Insurance cover podiatry?
Yes. Private health funds do cover podiatry but it will depend on your level of cover as to whether you are eligible to claim for these services. You will need to contact your health fund to find out about your personal entitlements to podiatry fees. Our HICAPS facility allows us to directly claim from your private health fund at the time of your treatment.
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Medicare: There are some circumstances where Medicare will pay the podiatry fees—for example if you have been classified by your doctor as having a chronic medical condition (such as diabetes) and an Enhanced Primary Care Plan has been lodged with Medicare by your doctor. This plan may entitle you to a maximum of 5 Allied Health visits a calendar year. It is solely your doctor’s decision to whether or not they allocates any eligible visits to podiatry or not. If you think this may apply to you, then you will need to firstly contact your doctor to make the necessary arrangements.
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Does Toetool Podiatry accept EFTPOS or credit cards?
Yes. We accept cash or most recognised credit, debit and EFTPOS cards (except for Diners Club). Personal cheques are accepted only with approval prior to your appointment.
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Some fun foot facts to perk your attention:
¼ of your bodies bones are in your feet.
Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 19 muscles , 10 tendons, 107 ligaments, 125 000 sweat glands perspiring up to 250mls per day.
Each foot takes 1.5 x your body weight as you walk and when running it is up to 5 x your body weight
The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the body
Humans walk approx 128 000 kms in a lifetime.
It is recommended that humans walk 8000-10000 steps per day
1 in 1000 babies is born with an extra toe or finger
Women are 4 x more likely to develop foot problems than men
The largest foot recorded was size 37 US or 47 cm long
It takes 12-18 months for a toenail to regrow which is approximately 1mm per month
88% of women wear shoes that are too small and 55% of these women are likely to develop bunions.
A Podiatrist deals with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases of the human foot.
40% of the population over 21 years old will experience some form of foot problems during their lifetime
Foot problems which may occur are corns, callus, ingrown toenails, heel pain, bunions, warts, damaged nails, neuroma, general pain, shin splints, claw toes, hammer toes, fungal infections, muscle sprain and strain, arthritis, fractures, ulcers, infections and bone spurs....