Diabetic Foot Care · Podiatry on the Gold Coast
Diabetic feet need a different kind of check.
Diabetes raises the stakes on every foot complaint. An annual diabetic foot assessment with a podiatrist catches small problems before they become big ones — ulcers, infections, the things you don’t want a foot to develop.
Why diabetic foot care matters.
Diabetes affects feet in two main ways. The first is neuropathy — nerve damage that reduces sensation. You can step on something sharp, develop a blister, or rub raw on a shoe and not feel it. The wound progresses while you go about your day.
The second is vascular impairment — reduced blood flow to the feet. Without good circulation, wounds heal slowly or don’t heal at all. The combination of reduced sensation and poor healing is what makes diabetic foot ulcers the leading cause of non-traumatic amputation in Australia.
The single most effective thing you can do? An annual podiatry assessment that screens both nerve and blood supply, debrides any pre-ulcerative calluses, and catches developing problems. Plus daily self-checking, which we’ll teach you.
Where you sit on the risk scale
Six diabetic foot profiles we manage.
01
Newly diagnosed with diabetes.
Worth coming in for a baseline assessment within the first few months. We document your nerve and circulation status so any future changes are easy to identify. Most newly-diagnosed patients have no foot problems yet — the goal is keeping it that way.
02
Type 2, well-controlled, no foot issues.
Annual review. We screen circulation, sensation, and skin, debride any thickened areas, and update footwear advice. Low-risk patients can often be reviewed less frequently — we’ll set the cadence with you.
03
Reduced sensation in the feet.
If you’ve started noticing numbness, tingling, or burning — or if you can’t feel a coin in your shoe — you’re in the higher-risk group. Every six-month review at minimum, plus daily self-checks and protective footwear.
04
Previous ulcer or ulcer that’s healing.
Once you’ve had an ulcer, your risk of another is significantly higher. Aggressive offloading, custom diabetic orthotics, and 4–8 weekly podiatry input. Worth claiming under Medicare EPC if your GP arranges it.
05
Charcot foot or significant deformity.
Charcot neuroarthropathy is a foot emergency — bone collapse under an insensate foot. Needs immediate offloading and close podiatry, sometimes orthopaedic referral. Existing Charcot or post-Charcot feet need ongoing specialist input.
06
End-stage renal patient with diabetes.
Very high risk. Dialysis-related fluid shifts, calcified vessels, and accelerated neuropathy all compound. We co-ordinate with your renal team and run more frequent reviews. Bulk-billing for eligible chronic disease management cases.
How an assessment goes
Screen. Treat. Schedule the next review.
01
Full screening assessment.
Vascular: palpate pulses, listen with Doppler if needed, ABI on first visit. Neurological: monofilament, tuning fork, reflexes. Structural: foot shape, callus pattern, deformity, footwear wear pattern. Plus a daily-routine conversation.
02
Treat what’s there.
Debride pre-ulcerative calluses, clip nails sterilely, address any specific concerns. If anything looks higher-risk (foot wound, atypical lesion, suspected Charcot), we escalate the same day.
03
Review cadence + Medicare claims.
Annual for low-risk, 6-monthly for moderate, 3-monthly or sooner for high-risk. We help with Medicare EPC chronic disease management plans where eligible — ask your GP for a referral, we’ll do the rest.
The honest comparison
Three ways diabetic feet get looked after.
01
Ace — structured diabetic-foot review.
Full vascular, neurological and structural screening. Custom diabetic orthotics if needed. We coordinate with GPs, endocrinologists, and vascular surgeons when cases call for it. Medicare EPC bulk-billing where eligible.
02
GP-only foot review.
Your GP screens feet at the annual diabetes review, which is genuinely useful. What it doesn’t include is the debridement of pre-ulcerative calluses, custom orthotic prescription, or the time for a detailed footwear conversation. Both are worth doing — not one or the other.
03
Wait until something hurts.
By the time a diabetic foot hurts, the problem is often advanced — especially if there’s neuropathy reducing the pain signal in the first place. Prevention is dramatically cheaper, faster, and less life-altering than treatment of established complications.
Is this you?
If this sounds like you, book in.
01
You’re diabetic and haven’t had a foot check in years.
Most important visit you can book this week. We’ll baseline your status, treat anything that’s already there, and set you up with a sensible review cadence.
02
You can’t feel the soles of your feet properly.
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy — not unusual, but worth taking seriously. Comes with risk management strategies we can teach you. Don’t walk barefoot, check shoes before putting them on, and we’ll do the rest.
03
You’ve had a foot wound that took ages to heal.
Significantly elevated risk for the next one. Worth structured ongoing care: 4–8 weekly reviews, custom diabetic orthotics, and a self-care routine. The Medicare EPC plan often covers most of the cost.
Questions we get asked
Common diabetic foot questions.
01 Can I claim diabetic podiatry under Medicare?
Yes — under a GP Chronic Condition Management (EPC) plan from your GP. The plan gives you up to five allied health visits per calendar year, fully or partly bulk-billed depending on the practice. We bulk-bill EPC visits for diabetic foot care. Ask your GP for a referral.
02 How often should I be coming in?
Low-risk (well-controlled diabetes, no neuropathy, no foot issues): annually. Moderate risk (mild neuropathy or previous calluses): 6-monthly. High risk (significant neuropathy, vascular issues, previous ulcer): 3-monthly or more often. We’ll work out the right schedule with you.
03 Do I need custom orthotics?
Sometimes. Diabetic orthotics aren’t about correcting biomechanics — they’re about offloading pressure points to prevent ulceration. Most patients with neuropathy or previous ulcers benefit from them. Lower-risk patients often don’t need them.
04 What footwear should I be wearing?
Soft upper material, deep toe-box, no internal seams that can rub. Avoid open-toe shoes, sandals with thin soles, and anything with a hard sole if you have neuropathy. For high-risk patients, prescription footwear may be appropriate — we’ll guide you through that.
05 What does a diabetic foot wound need urgently?
Anything that breaks the skin on a diabetic foot needs review within 24–48 hours — sooner if there’s redness, warmth, swelling, or any discharge. Don’t wait. Call us or your GP the same day.
06 Is the visit covered by private health?
Yes — podiatry consults are claimable under your podiatry extras with every major fund. If you have an EPC plan, that runs as bulk-bill instead. We don’t double-dip — whichever option is best for you.
Medicare EPC bulk-billed for chronic disease management — plus HICAPS, DVA, NDIS.
Catch it small. Keep them walking.
