Common questions about podiatry in Burwood

New patient: under NEW PATIENT — START HERE, choose First podiatry appointment with the podiatrist’s name; you don’t need a diagnosis. Their fees and clinic days differ, so compare dates if you want the earliest appointment. GP care plan: choose from HAVE A GP MEDICARE CARE-PLAN REFERRAL? (Jasem or Omar), or call for Jonathan’s. Returning: choose a follow-up. Nail surgery, orthotics and shockwave are arranged after assessment, not booked online. Fees

No. You can book a private podiatry appointment at our Burwood clinic without a GP referral. To claim an eligible Medicare rebate, bring your GP care-plan referral. See how Medicare care-plan visits work.

Yes. You can book online at any time through our booking page, or call (02) 9701 0477 during clinic hours. Jonathan Ho’s Medicare care-plan appointments are booked by phone. See booking options.

Yes. We’re at 16 Railway Parade, a short walk from Burwood Station, so many patients come by train. Others travel by bus or car from across the Inner West and beyond, including Drummoyne, Five Dock, Leichhardt, Campsie, Croydon Park and Strathfield. Directions and contact details.

At Burwood Podiatry, Jasem and Omar speak Arabic and English. Jonathan speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese and English. Our front desk speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Check their clinic days so you can book with someone who speaks your preferred language. 中文（普通话／粤语）.

Yes—we assess growing feet, walking and activity concerns. Read about children's feet.

Bring your payment card, medication list, usual shoes, orthotics and relevant reports or scans. Using an eligible GP care plan? Bring your referral and Medicare card. Trousers that roll up help us see your lower legs. Tell us about your work and activities so the advice fits your day.

Private 30-minute first appointments are $112 with Jasem or Omar and $162 with Jonathan (Saturdays +10%, Jonathan only). With an eligible GP care plan the first-visit fee is $91–$152, before the $63.40 Medicare rebate. The fees page has current amounts and costs after the rebate. Orthotics and procedures are quoted separately, before you decide.

Burwood Podiatry is not a bulk-billing clinic. Private appointments are paid in full. With an eligible GP care-plan referral you also pay the consultation fee, and Medicare returns the applicable rebate separately; it does not usually cover the whole fee. See current fees and Medicare information.

A lower or higher price does not, by itself, show whether two appointments include the same service. Before you decide, it is worth asking any clinic — including this one:

• How long is the appointment?
• Which clinician will I see?
• Is assessment or treatment included?
• Are devices, procedures or dressings charged separately?
• Are fitting, adjustments or reviews included?
• Will fees be explained before I agree to further care?

If avoiding an out-of-pocket cost is your priority, ask whether a provider bulk bills your eligible visit. If another service better fits your needs, funding or budget, it may be the right choice for you. What to compare when choosing podiatry care.

Not automatically. Eligible referrals generally allow up to five Medicare-supported allied-health services per calendar year, shared across professions—not five visits to each. Different limits can apply for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Your GP advises on eligibility and referrals. A provider may bulk bill or charge a fee above the rebate. Our billing and care-plan fees · Medicare eligibility and limits.

Bring your eligible GP care-plan referral and Medicare card. Pay the full fee first; the rebate returns separately. See fees, eligibility and rebate calculations. Book Jasem or Omar online; call for Jonathan’s Medicare appointments.

If your cover includes podiatry, HICAPS can process the benefit so you pay the gap. We’re a Bupa Members First and HCF More for Feet provider. Benefits depend on cover and limits. Private health, DVA and NDIS funding.

Please give at least 24 hours’ notice. A late cancellation or missed appointment may incur a fee of up to the booked consultation fee; illness and genuine emergencies are exempt. Read the cancellation terms.

Start with what’s bothering you and how it affects your day—plain words are fine. We assess your history, feet and how you move, explain what we find, what we know so far and whether anything else needs checking, and discuss options and any further investigation. Tell us what feels manageable and ask about costs before deciding together on your next step. If appropriate and with your consent, we can provide written or verbal feedback on relevant findings to your GP, referrer or other treating clinician. Questions worth asking before you leave: what do you think is going on, what should I do at home, what will it cost from here, when should it be reviewed, and which changes need earlier advice? What should I bring to my appointment?

We explain likely sensations, discomfort, alternatives and aftercare before starting. Tell us about previous experiences or anything that worries you. How we approach care.

Sore nails, skin changes, odour and difficulty with foot care are familiar reasons to visit. We focus on what is troubling you and how to help, not judging how your feet look or how long you have had the problem. General podiatry: nail and skin care.

Yes. A family member or support person is welcome to stay with you in the treatment room if that helps you feel comfortable. Just let us know when you book. If language is a barrier, see which podiatrists speak your language.

Yes. Ask us to pause or stop at any time. We’ll listen, check what is uncomfortable and discuss whether to adjust the approach or leave treatment for another time.

A podiatrist is the health professional who looks after foot and lower limb health. Podiatrists assess and manage problems affecting the feet, ankles and lower legs—for example heel and ball-of-foot pain, ingrown and thickened toenails, corns, calluses and warts, sports injuries, children’s feet and diabetic foot checks. Care may include nail and skin treatment, minor nail procedures, orthotics, footwear advice and exercise-based rehab. See our podiatry services.

Podiatrists are sometimes called foot doctors (and were once called chiropodists), but we are not medical doctors. We are university-trained health practitioners registered with the Podiatry Board of Australia (Ahpra) who assess and treat the feet, ankles and lower legs, and we’ll suggest seeing your GP if something needs medical care. In the United States, podiatrists may hold a DPM (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine). Ahpra advises that anyone using “Dr” who is not a medical practitioner should state their profession, for example Dr Jonathan Ho (Podiatrist). Our team are Jonathan Ho (Principal Podiatrist), Omar Mohamad (Senior Podiatrist) and Jasem Waizani (Associate Podiatrist).

In Australia, “specialist” is a protected title. The only registered podiatry specialty is surgical podiatrist, so our team are registered podiatrists rather than specialists. Between us we regularly look after diabetic foot care, children’s feet, ingrown toenails, heel and ball-of-foot pain, and sports and walking problems, and we refer on when something needs a medical specialist. Meet our podiatrists.

Yes. Burwood Podiatry and Lower Limb Rehab is a podiatry (foot) clinic at 16 Railway Parade, Burwood, near Burwood Station. Our clinic podiatrists in Burwood provide foot care for adults and children, from nails, corns and calluses to foot, ankle and lower-leg pain. We are a separate practice from other foot clinics in Burwood, so check our name and address when you book. Find the clinic and book.

Look for a podiatrist who is registered with Ahpra (you can check the public register), explains what they found and your options in plain language, tells you the cost before treatment, and doesn’t push treatment or products you don’t need. At Burwood Podiatry, standard appointments are 30 minutes, our fees are listed on this website, and our team speaks English, Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese. Meet our podiatrists.

Podiatrists at Burwood Podiatry do not prescribe antibiotics. If a nail or skin infection may need them, we’ll explain what we found and refer you to your GP, who can decide on antibiotic treatment as part of managing the problem. Spreading redness, fever, or any new wound if you have diabetes needs same-day medical care. When a foot wound needs urgent care.

No. Podiatrists look after the feet, ankles and lower legs. For hand or wrist problems such as carpal tunnel symptoms or a hand fracture, see your GP or a hand therapist (a physiotherapist or occupational therapist with hand-therapy training). An ingrown fingernail or thumbnail is best checked by your GP.

Yes. Some problems are best managed together, such as knee, hip or back pain that changes how you walk, or rehab after an injury. If physiotherapy would help, we’ll recommend it and, with your consent, share our findings with your physio.

No. Some ingrown toenails can be managed conservatively, depending on the nail, surrounding skin, infection risk and whether the problem keeps returning. Nail surgery may be discussed when pain or recurrence continues. We assess the toe before recommending an option. Compare the options. Ingrown toenail surgery.

Podiatrists at Burwood Podiatry do not prescribe antifungal tablets; in Australia they need a prescription from your GP. If your GP would like the nail tested, bring the pathology referral and specimen container to your appointment and we’ll collect the nail clippings for you to take back for testing. We can also reduce thick or discoloured nails, talk through treatments from a pharmacy and write to your GP. Fungal and thickened toenails.

No. For thick, damaged or discoloured toenails we can reduce and thin the nail so shoes are more comfortable, check whether it may be fungal and discuss testing, advise on treatment options and footwear pressure, and discuss nail surgery if a nail keeps causing problems. Fungal and thickened toenails.

Pain on the first steps after sleep or rest is commonly associated with plantar heel pain, but the pattern alone does not confirm a diagnosis. Your activity, footwear, calf and ankle function, pain location and other symptoms help distinguish possible causes. Read the morning heel-pain guide. Heel pain and plantar fasciitis.

Not everyone needs custom orthotics. Depending on the assessment, suitable options may include footwear changes, exercises, adjusting an existing device, an off-the-shelf insole or no orthotic at all. Custom orthotics are considered when their specific design is likely to add useful support for your symptoms, goals and footwear. Compare orthotic options. Orthotics assessment.

There isn’t one list of podiatry-approved shoes that suits every foot. A good shoe fits the length and width of your foot, holds firmly at the heel, leaves room for your toes and suits what you’ll do in it. Review sites can help you shortlist sneakers, but try them on later in the day with the socks and orthotics you’ll wear. If shoes keep causing pain, bring them to your appointment and we’ll check the fit. How to choose shoes that fit your feet comfortably.

Foot arthritis can cause quite different symptoms depending on which joints are involved and what aggravates them, so there isn’t one answer for everyone. Shockwave may help in some circumstances, alongside other options such as footwear changes, orthoses, activity changes and strength work. We’ll assess your feet first, explain which options suit you and go from there. As with any treatment, improvement isn’t assured, and we suggest a GP review when needed. About shockwave therapy.

A new wound, spreading redness, warmth, swelling, pus, fever or a sudden colour change needs urgent same-day medical assessment first, even if it does not hurt—not a routine check. Call 000 for an immediate threat to life. For routine checks, Burwood Podiatry provides diabetic foot assessments at 16 Railway Parade, near Burwood Station. A check may include skin, nails, circulation, sensation, footwear and your individual risk factors. The recommended review frequency depends on what is found and your broader health care plan. See what a diabetic foot check involves.

No. We don’t perform bunion, ankle or other foot surgery. We assess the problem and talk through non-surgical options first. If surgery may be worth considering, we can write to your GP, who can refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon or a surgical podiatrist (the specialist title that replaced “podiatric surgeon” in October 2026). Ingrown toenail surgery is done in our clinic under local anaesthetic. Ingrown toenail surgery. Bunion pain and footwear choices.

A foot wound with spreading redness, warmth, swelling, pus or other discharge, fever or rapidly worsening pain needs same-day medical care. With diabetes, any new wound or sudden colour change needs urgent same-day medical assessment, even if it does not hurt. Poor circulation or reduced feeling are also reasons to seek advice early. Call 000 for a life-threatening emergency. Read about foot wounds and when to seek care.

Not usually. Fungal nail changes are more often yellow, white or brown, with thickening or crumbling. A new, widening or changing dark streak, or colour spreading onto the skin around the nail, should be checked by your GP promptly because it can occasionally be a sign of melanoma. Fungal and thickened nails.

Heel pain is common in active children aged about 8 to 14, especially around growth spurts, and is often Sever’s disease—an irritation of the growth plate at the back of the heel. Other causes are possible. Get same-day urgent care (a GP today, an urgent care clinic or the emergency department) if your child cannot bear weight, has severe pain, or has a limp with fever or seems unwell. See your GP promptly for pain at night or at rest, or swelling or redness. A podiatry assessment is worth considering if heel pain is limiting sport or play. Children’s heel pain.

Still sore after treatment? That can be discouraging. Bring reports, shoes and devices. Tell us what helped, what did not, and whether discomfort, cost or fitting the advice into your day made it difficult to continue. We consider symptoms, foot and lower-limb movement, footwear and activity. Options include rehabilitation, hands-on care, orthotic adjustments or devices or shockwave. Investigation or referral may be more appropriate than repeating care.

There isn’t a blanket answer for every device or person. Discuss its purpose and review, including strength exercises where appropriate. Read the study and its limitations.

Timing depends on the condition, its duration and your circumstances. We’ll discuss what to expect and review progress with you. There isn’t one recovery timetable for everyone. If progress stalls, see what to do if previous treatment hasn’t helped.