Podiatry deals with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of medical and surgical conditions of the feet and lower limbs. The conditions podiatrists treat include those resulting from bone and joint disorders such as arthritis, soft-tissue and musculoskeletal pathologies, as well as neurological and circulatory disease. Podiatrists are also able to diagnose and treat any complications of the above which affect the lower limb, including skin and nail disorders, corns, calluses and ingrown toenails. Biomechanical & gait analysis will often be undertaken through visual or computerised means and might include range of motion studies, postural alignment evaluation or dynamic force and pressure studies.

Clinical services require skilled use of sterilised instruments and appropriate infection control procedures, along with appropriate application of pharmacological agents, specialist wound dressings and a variety of physical therapies. Prescription foot orthoses can offer significant solutions in the treatment and prevention of corns, callous and necrotic ulceration in their capacity to provide pressure redistribution. Also as a technique for providing consistent weightbearing manipulation they are utilised in the treatment of acute and chronic foot conditions such as tendonitis, recurrent ankle sprain, chronic knee pain and stress fractures, to supplement and enhance clinical care.

Orthotics are load modifying and supporting devices that are inserted into your footwear to give your feet the support they need while assisting them in their natural function. 

At East Adelaide Podiatry we use an advance scanning tool that takes a 3D image of your foot or use a fibreglass casting option depending on the device that will be suitable to your needs. We then use specialised orthotic software to design orthotics customised to your feet. 

Your Podiatrist will recommend a custom device if off-the-shelf prefabricated devices are not a suitable fit or function for your feet. 
We pride ourselves in prescribing custom devices that will facilitate improved movement patterns while not being too bulky to fit into many of your pairs of shoes!

We maintain a close relationship with our orthotic labs, Paromed and The Orthotic Factory, as good communication is key to creating the optimum outcomes in orthotic designs for our clients.

We pride ourselves in listening to a detailed history of your injury, so that we can put ourselves “in your shoes” so-to-speak!
We recognise it is important to assess you in walking and any other functional movement that aggravates your pain – of course within safe limits! We will generally start with watching you walk and assess you in some functional movements/tests, before testing your individual muscles for strength and joints for range of motion. 

Sometimes scans, such as, x-ray, ultrasound or MRI are needed to diagnose the specific structure that is injured. Thankfully your Podiatrist can refer for such images, so there’s no need for an extra GP appointment. 

It is important to recognise that most conditions require a combination of treatments to fully resolve the issue. Orthoses are used in “load modification” and can be excellent in relieving pain. However, it is still important to strengthen the foot and the lower limb accordingly to support each other. Our Podiatrists assess and address movement patterns further up the body, not just at the feet and will prescribe exercises to compliment your orthotic therapy. 

We will also assess if there are any joint ROM limitations, and can address these directly with hands-on treatment at the foot level through Foot Mobilisation Therapy (FMT). This treatment can also help you tolerate your new orthoses better. Our Podiatrists are all trained by Ted Jedynak who leads the way in the area of Foot Mobilisation Therapy with his acclaimed and accredited courses.