Podiatry FAQs — Newcastle
Common questions about our clinic, custom 3D printed orthotics, and treatments for heel pain, ingrown toenails, plantar warts, sports injuries and diabetes-related foot care. Can't find what you're looking for? Call us on (02) 4942 2550.
About the clinic
We're at Shop 2/1 Glebe Street, Kahibah — five minutes from Charlestown Square, with off-street parking. We see patients from across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, including Charlestown, Kahibah, Whitebridge, Dudley, Redhead, Belmont, Gateshead, Cardiff, Glendale, Kotara, Adamstown, Mt Hutton, Warners Bay, Newcastle CBD, Merewether, The Junction and the wider Hunter region.
Monday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Tuesday to Thursday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, and Friday 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM. We're closed weekends.
Your appointment will be with Tim Foran, our principal podiatrist. Tim graduated from the University of Western Sydney with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences (Podiatry) in 2000 and has over 26 years of clinical experience. Tracey Taylor, our receptionist, will look after your booking, rebates and any questions when you arrive.
Same-week appointments are usual, and for urgent issues like ingrown toenails we often have same-day availability. Book online any time, or call (02) 4942 2550 during business hours.
Bookings, referrals and fees
No. You can book directly with us as a private patient at any time. A referral is only needed if you want Medicare to contribute under a Chronic Disease Management (CDM/EPC) plan, or if you're being seen under DVA.
The fastest way is online through our booking page. You can also call (02) 4942 2550 during clinic hours, or use the contact form on our website.
Bring the shoes you wear most often (work shoes, runners, anything you spend long hours in), any previous orthotics or insoles you've tried, your Medicare card, and your private health card if you have extras cover. If you have a CDM/EPC referral from your GP, bring that too.
Fees depend on the service — a standard consultation, a nail surgery, and a custom orthotic fitting are all priced differently. We're happy to quote over the phone or at your first appointment before any work goes ahead. Most patients with private health extras cover pay a relatively small gap.
Yes. We have HICAPS on-site, so we process your rebate at the counter and you only pay the gap. Most extras policies that include podiatry will cover at least a portion of your consultation and any orthotics prescribed.
Yes, if your GP has placed you on a Chronic Disease Management (CDM/EPC) plan, Medicare will contribute a rebate towards each visit — up to 5 allied health appointments per calendar year. Without a plan, Medicare doesn't cover routine podiatry, but you can still see us as a private patient.
Yes to both. For NDIS, please call us before booking so we can confirm your funding details and how your plan is managed.
Yes — please give us at least 24 hours' notice where possible so we can offer your spot to someone on the waiting list. You can reschedule online or by phone.
Custom 3D printed orthotics
Traditional custom orthotics start with a plaster cast or foam impression of your foot that gets posted to an external lab. We use a 3D foot scanner accurate to sub-millimetre precision, design the orthotic in software in-house, then print it locally. The result is more precise, faster to manufacture, more durable, and a cleaner process — no plaster, no foam, no mess.
Yes. East Coast Podiatry Clinic is the only Newcastle podiatry clinic offering custom orthotics with 3D scanning, in-house design and 3D printing.
Plantar fasciitis and heel pain, flat feet and overpronation, shin splints, knee pain linked to foot mechanics, Achilles tendinopathy, bunions, metatarsalgia (ball-of-foot pain), lower back pain where it's driven by gait, children's foot pain (flat feet, in-toeing, growing pains), and sports injury prevention for runners, netballers, hikers and tradies.
Because we design on-site rather than sending to an external lab, most patients have their orthotics fitted within 7–10 days of their initial assessment.
With normal daily use, our 3D printed orthotics typically last 2–3 years. We recommend a yearly review to check fit and wear as your feet and activity levels change.
Yes — about two weeks. We recommend wearing them for around 2 hours on day one and gradually building up to all day by the end of week two. Most patients notice an improvement in their symptoms within the first 2–4 weeks.
Not necessarily. Orthotics are usually part of a broader plan that also includes stretching, strengthening and footwear changes. Some patients use them long-term; others find their pain resolves and they can wean off.
Yes. They're commonly prescribed for kids with flat feet, in-toeing, growing pains and Sever's disease. Because children's feet grow quickly, we review and adjust more often than we do for adults.
They fit best in lace-up shoes, runners and boots. We can also design a slimmer profile for dress shoes or flats — tell us what you'll be wearing them in and we'll design accordingly.
Costs depend on case complexity and your private health cover. We'll provide a quote at your assessment before any work begins. Most patients with extras cover pay a relatively small out-of-pocket gap, and we process your rebate at the counter via HICAPS.
Heel pain and plantar fasciitis
While you sleep, the plantar fascia (the band of tissue along the sole of your foot) shortens and tightens. The first few steps in the morning suddenly stretch it back out, re-tearing the small healing fibres at the heel attachment — that's the sharp "stepping on broken glass" pain. It eases as the fascia warms up and lengthens.
Keep moving, but smartly. Complete rest usually makes plantar fasciitis worse long-term because the fascia heals in a shortened position. We'll give you a tailored load-management plan — which activities to reduce, which to keep, and how to progress back to full activity.
Almost never. Plenty of people have heel spurs and zero pain; plenty of people have terrible heel pain and no spur. The pain almost always comes from the surrounding plantar fascia, not the bony spur itself.
Usually not. Plantar fasciitis is a clinical diagnosis we can make from your history and examination. We only arrange imaging if we suspect a stress fracture, ruptured fascia, or another less common cause.
For acute plantar fasciitis (less than 3 months), most patients are 70–80% better within 4–6 weeks of starting active treatment. Chronic cases (6+ months) usually take 3–6 months for full resolution. Achilles tendinopathy: 2–4 months. Stress fractures: 6–8 weeks of off-loading minimum. The single biggest factor is how early you start treatment.
Sometimes mild cases will, but research consistently shows the longer plantar fasciitis is left untreated, the more likely it becomes chronic — and chronic cases can take years to resolve. Early treatment is dramatically faster.
Cortisone offers short-term relief but doesn't fix the underlying mechanics, and repeated injections weaken the fascia. Shockwave therapy (ESWT) has good evidence for chronic cases that haven't responded after 6+ months — it's not first-line, but it's a useful option for stubborn cases.
Ingrown toenails
For around 70% of patients, yes. We remove the embedded nail spike, drain any infection, dress the area, and teach you correct nail-cutting technique to stop it coming back. You'll walk out feeling dramatically better than you walked in.
Less than the ingrown nail itself, usually. Conservative treatment is briefly uncomfortable but provides huge relief. For partial nail avulsion (minor surgery), the only painful part is the local anaesthetic injection — about 10 seconds of sting at the base of the toe. After that, you feel pressure but no pain.
A minor surgical procedure done in our clinic under local anaesthetic, used for ingrown toenails that keep coming back or are severe from the start. We permanently remove a 2–3mm strip of nail along the problem edge and treat the nail bed with phenol so it doesn't regrow. The procedure takes about an hour. Success rate is over 95%.
Same day: walk out, drive home, rest with the foot elevated. Days 3–7: most people return to work in supportive shoes. Week 2: back to most normal activity. Weeks 3–4: back to running, sport and tight-fitting shoes. Full nail bed healing takes 6–8 weeks.
Sometimes. If there's significant infection that draining the area doesn't fully resolve, we'll recommend you see your GP for a short course. Podiatrists can't prescribe antibiotics, but we coordinate the referral if you need it.
Yes — we treat children and teenagers regularly. For younger children we're especially careful with the anaesthetic injection, and a parent or guardian stays throughout.
In most cases yes, but we take extra care assessing your circulation and healing capacity first. Tell us at booking and we'll plan accordingly — sometimes we coordinate with your GP about briefly adjusting medications around the procedure.
Plantar warts
We use cryotherapy — liquid nitrogen applied directly to the wart to freeze and destroy the infected tissue. Before treating, we trim the hard skin (callus) covering the wart so the cold reaches it properly.
It's a sharp cold sensation — uncomfortable for a few seconds, then it eases off. Most patients say it was much less painful than they expected. Children handle it well too.
Most plantar warts need 1 to 3 treatments, spaced 2 to 3 weeks apart. Because warts are caused by a virus, your immune system plays a big role in clearing them, and we're essentially giving it a nudge.
From $70 to $100 per treatment.
Yes. You'll feel some tenderness for the rest of the day, so wear comfortable, well-cushioned shoes for the next 24 hours. Most people are back to normal activity the same day.
For most people, yes — including children. It's not always the best choice if you have diabetes, poor circulation, are pregnant, have a compromised immune system, or a history of poor wound healing. Let us know at booking and we'll assess suitability at your first appointment.
Diabetes foot assessments
Diabetes Australia recommends at least annually for everyone with diabetes. If you're medium or high risk — or have had a previous ulcer — we'll see you every 3 to 6 months.
A 30-minute, completely painless check covering skin and nail inspection, nerve sensation testing (monofilament and tuning fork), circulation assessment (manual pulse check and Doppler ultrasound where needed), foot shape and pressure points, and a risk categorisation with a clear care plan. We can send a copy to your GP for your diabetes record.
No. The monofilament is a light plastic filament that tests pressure sensation, the tuning fork tests vibration, and the Doppler is the same kind of ultrasound used for pregnancy scans. None of it is painful.
Yes. Nerve and vessel damage builds up gradually over time regardless of how well-controlled blood glucose is (though good control slows the rate considerably). An annual check confirms things are tracking well or catches early signs before they become bigger problems.
If your GP has set up a Chronic Disease Management (CDM/EPC) plan and referred you to us, Medicare will contribute a rebate — up to 5 allied health appointments per calendar year. Ask your GP about a CDM plan at your next visit.
Absolutely. A second set of ears is genuinely useful, especially for the care-plan discussion. You can also book on behalf of a parent or family member — many of our diabetic patients are referred by concerned family.