Melanie Freeman Dip.Pod.M.A.Pod.A

Ingrown toenails. That’s how it all started. Unfortunately they were my ingrown toenails. After suffering for years from reoccurring ingrown toenails, my doctor referred me to a podiatrist. The podiatrist I saw fixed my ingrown toenails and taught me how to avoid getting any more. After suffering from painful toes for years, this was life changing for me.
So, at the age of 14 years old, I decide that being a podiatrist was something I could consider as a profession. After work experience ( with the same podiatrist that had treated me), it was confirmed that I wanted to become a podiatrist.
That was over 25 years ago now and I still feel very grateful to have found a career that has allowed me to have such positive experiences.
Over my career I have really enjoyed working within the community of the Illawarra. Staying within the same business for my whole career has allowed me to develop long term working relationships with other medical practitioners and businesses.
I enjoy all aspects of my work. My father competed in cycling, triathlon and marathon running. This and my own interest in being active gave me many insights that became very useful for treating sporting injuries. I have always enjoyed treating children as I strongly believe in preventative medicine. I think becoming a mother ten years ago has given me more tools to assess and treat children. It also allowed me to understand how the parents of patients feel when they can gain treatment and reassurance about their children’s health.
As well as preventative medicine, I enjoy being part of a team that can provide wholistic care for a patient. This team may be other podiatrists within our practices, colleges who can help with advice and other health practitioners that I can refer to,to achieve the best possible outcomes for the patients that come to our clinics.
If I could only give one piece of advice to someone with foot pain, it would be- don’t put up with it. The treatment may be more simple than you think.