Our Foot & Ankle Care FAQ

There is a new technology that helps detect one of diabetes' most harmful complications.  It is called DDOT or dynamic diffuse optical tomography.  It is a non-invasive, light-based imaging modality developed by researchers at Columbia University that will allow clinicians to diagnose and monitor peripheral artery disease in individuals with diabetes more accurately.

Currently, non-invasive diagnostic methods for detecting PAD (Peripheral Artery Disease) are limited to ankle-brachial index or ABI and lower-limb duplex ultrasound which may not reveal the full picture of blood flow in the extremities in some cases.

DDOT may give clinicians the clearest picture yet of the quality of blood flow in a patient's extremities by obtaining a direct measure of the distal perfusion rather than the surrogate ones yielded by the previously mentioned modalities.  This is accomplished by a near-infrared optical tomography imager to send light through optical fibers into the tissue of the foot via a measuring probe placed around the foot.

If you suspect yourself or someone you know may be suffering from PAD, please make an appointment by calling (512) 328-8900 to determine your risk of complications from this condition.  The doctors at Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists are experts in the diagnosis and detection of PAD.

Are You Looking For Foot Care in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for foot care, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512.328.8900.

Dr. Thomajan is faxing or calling in my first prescription; when can I pick it up?

All prescriptions and refill requests will be filled by the end of the business day. If you are seen for a 9 am appointment time your prescription will be available no later than 5:30 pm with your chosen pharmacy. Dr. Thomajan is always as accommodating as possible and most times prescriptions are sent right away. Please call ahead to your pharmacy to see if the prescription has arrived prior to visiting.

Dr. Thomajan wrote me a pain prescription; how do I get a refill?

Please have your pharmacy fax a prescription refill request to (512) 328-8903. We do not call in prescription refills. A total of 3 pain prescriptions will be filled (one initial prescription and up to two additional refills). If you are still experiencing pain after we have prescribed three rounds of pain prescriptions you are required to schedule a follow-up visit to assess for any changes in your diagnosis. At this time consideration will be taken to find you a pain management specialist should there be no significant changes to your diagnosis.

Can I drive while on pain medication?

No, we recommend that you have a responsible adult drive you while you are taking pain medication(s). You should never attempt to operate any machinery while on pain medication. If you should ever have any questions regarding your prescription please contact our office at (512) 328-8900 or consult your pharmacist.

Can my surgeon call in my prescription for surgery?

Should Dr. Thomajan prescribe pain medication he will write the prescription on the day of your surgery and this will be in the possession of the post-operative nurse at the facility that will be charged with your care. You will receive a paper copy of your prescription to deliver to any pharmacy of your choice. We do not call in or prescribe any medications prior to your surgical procedure.

When do I take my medication? How do I take my medication?

Dr. Thomajan will touch upon this on your visit. However, we do recommend upon receipt of your prescription from the pharmacy that you speak to your pharmacist regarding any additional questions. Please speak with your pharmacist regarding how often to take your medication and how you should take your medication. Your pharmacist has a plethora of information and their purpose is to supply you with as much information regarding your specific prescription. As well, medication directions are always printed on the medication bottle. Should you require any additional information please contact our office at (512) 328-8900.

Do I stop taking my other medications?

Please contact your prescribing physician or PCP to check if you should stop any other medications. As always, we welcome any additional questions you might have as well (512) 328-8900.

You prescribed a medication a friend of mine has; can I just take that?

Unfortunately, no. We are not in the practice of sharing medications. Please fill the prescription that Dr. Thomajan has prescribed for you as this quantity, dosage, and shelf-life were specifically formulated for you. Should you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Dr. Thomajan prescribed me a medication a year ago; can I refill it?

Please contact our office at (512) 328-8900 to schedule an appointment. We do not refill prescriptions over 60 days without another consultation to facilitate any changes in your diagnosis.

Is my prescription covered by insurance?

We make every effort to supply you with as much coverage information as possible regarding your specific insurance plan. However, we do not have access to coverage in terms of prescription drug plans. Please contact customer service with your insurance company to check for coverage of your specific prescription.

Dr. Thomajan referred me to pain management; what is this?

Pain management is a branch of medicine employing an interdisciplinary approach for easing suffering and improving the quality of life of those living with pain. We will refer you to a preferred pain management specialist that is in-network with your insurance company. We will provide you with their contact information and provide all of your medical records as a courtesy.
 

Are You Looking for a Foot Care Doctor in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for foot care, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512.328.8900.

What is an MRI?

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is a noninvasive diagnostic tool used to identify and treat various medical conditions. These exams provide unparalleled views of internal body structures including the organs, soft tissues, and bone, which cannot be seen using conventional X-rays or CT scans.

How does an MRI work?

MRI technology uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed pictures of the human body. As the radio waves pass through the body, images are created on a computer screen for radiologists to analyze. These precise images allow radiologists to view soft tissue (muscles, fat, internal organs, blood vessels, and tendons) and bones without the use of X-rays or surgery.

Is an MRI safe?

The MRI imaging technique does not involve exposure to radiation.  However, women should always inform their technologist if there is a chance they could be pregnant. Medical and electronic devices may interfere with MRI exams and pose a potential risk. Patients with any kind of metallic implant should not have an MRI unless their physician is aware of the device and has approved the procedure. Patients with pacemakers should not undergo an MRI.

Can children receive an MRI?

Yes, children can receive an MRI. Typically, the facility will have a specialty radiologist perform the procedure.  

Who do I contact to schedule my MRI?

Dr. Thomajan will select the facility that is best required for your MRI. You will leave with your MRI prescription order; all orders have the contact information provided. We utilize the following:

• River Ranch Radiology: (512) 454-9597
• Austin Radiological Association: (512) 453-6100
• Austin Health Imaging: (512) 451-8595

I do not live in Austin; can I go anywhere else to receive my MRI?

Although we prefer to use whom Dr. Thomajan has referred you to you do have the right to visit any facility for your MRI procedure. You can always take the referral we have already written to any facility or please just contact our office to write a generic MRI referral.

When should I arrive for my MRI?

Patients typically are asked to arrive 30 minutes prior to their scheduled appointment. This allows time to complete any necessary paperwork, answer any medical history questions, change clothes for the scan if necessary and ask any questions for the technologist.

What do I bring with me to my MRI?

Please bring your insurance card, identification card, and your MRI order.

How should I dress for my MRI?

Patients should dress in loose-fitting, comfortable clothing (i.e. sweatshirt and pants without metal snaps or zippers). All valuables will be removed so we recommend leaving them at home. We also recommend not wearing cosmetics as many brands contain metal.

What happens during my MRI?

When you are ready for your scan, a technologist will bring you into the MRI scan room and help you get comfortable on the padded examination table. The table will then move slowly into the opening of a large cylinder-shaped tube that houses the MRI magnet. You will hear a continual knocking noise while the machine takes pictures. Earplugs are provided and significantly reduce the amount of noise during the scan. It is important to lie completely still while the images are being taken because motion will affect the sharpness of the image. The technologist will talk with you throughout your scan and keep you informed of what you can expect. You can expect your MRI to last somewhere between 20-60 minutes.

What happens after my MRI?

Patients may leave immediately following their MRI scan and go about normal activities. If you have requested the use of a mild sedative you will be required to have a responsible adult drive you home.

When can I expect my results?

Results are usually available and submitted to our office within 24-48 hours. Our staff will contact you as soon as they are available and interpreted by Dr. Thomajan. You will be required to schedule an office visit to receive your results. An office visit is required to discuss findings and develop a plan of action for your recovery.

I scheduled my results visit; do I have to pay a copay?

Yes, all visits are considered with your contract with your insurance company as an office visit. Any time you are seen and treated by Dr. Thomajan and his staff your insurance is billed. Part of your billed service is your copay; which is due on each date of service. 

Do I need to bring my results or copies of the MRI to my visit?

We do not require that you provide results. We will have access to your results. Should we require to see the physical scans we can access River Ranch Radiology and Austin Radiological Association online. Any other facility that does not provide scans online we will request the hard copy as a courtesy.
 

Are You Looking for a Foot Care Specialist in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for foot care, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512.328.8900.

We discourage this.  We explain it this way to our patients.  Your feet are the only parts of your body that touch the ground, if we perform surgery of both bunions at the same time it prevents you from having one good foot to stabilize yourself with, drive, perform your day to day activities.  This practice may also compromise your surgical outcome because you may not allow the procedures to heal uneventfully.  However when this is preformed we require our patients to sign a wheelchair non-weightbearing contract with our doctors so that we can insure are positive experience prevent a poor result.

Are You Looking for a Bunion Specialist in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for bunion care, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512.328.8900.

If your plan covers orthotics at all, it will typically allow you to get another pair after a certain period of time has passed. Often, this is one new pair per year, but sometimes the waiting period is longer.

Regardless of what your insurance company will or will not cover, a key benefit of the custom orthotics package from Austin Foot and Ankle is that it includes any needed adjustments or reorders of your initial two pairs of orthotics at no extra cost to you, should you not be completely satisfied with your results. Frankly, these new 3D-printed orthotics are so well made, and adjustments are so rarely needed, that we’re more than happy to provide this guarantee. Your satisfaction is our top priority!

That said, if your plan does cover the cost of a new pair of orthotics every year (or any other term), we highly encourage you to take advantage of it—even if your initial two pairs are still going strong. After all, while two pairs are better than one, three pairs are better than two!

Are You Considering Custom Orthotics  in Austin, TX?

If you are considering custom orthotics, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512.328.8900.

Many, although certainly not all, insurance plans offer coverage for custom orthotics if they are determined to be medically necessary by a qualified professional. (We are, of course, the qualified professionals in this scenario.)

Please keep in mind that our orthotics program provides you with two pairs of orthotics, while most insurances unfortunately will only cover the cost of one pair. In our experience, distributing two pairs is a lot better for our patients and leads to significantly better long-term outcomes on average—which is why a second pair is always included in our orthotics package. Not only will each pair last longer due to reduced wear and tear, but you can get orthotics for different purposes (e.g., the second pair could be specially designed for your dress shoes or for sports).

Are You Considering Custom Orthotics in Austin, TX?

If you are considering custom orthotics, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512.328.8900.

If you aren’t already one of our patients, you probably should start with this question. Although the vast majority of insurance plans cover podiatry appointments, they may require a referral from your general practitioner before extending coverage—especially if your health care plan is an HMO.

Are You Looking for a Foot Care Specialist in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for foot care, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512.328.8900.

Overall, the risks are very low. This is one of the safest treatments we offer.

Mild side effects might include a bit of tenderness or redness at the injection site, lasting at most a couple of days after the procedure. No major side effects have been reported. Again, this is largely due to the immunoprivileged nature of perinatal tissue.

Remember as well that this tissue is only taken from scheduled C-sections, so doctors have a lot of time in advance to make sure the donor tissue is healthy. That’s followed by rigorous secondary screening, sterilization, and cryopreservation. By the time the tissue is ready to be used as an injectable, the risk of any contamination is remote.

Furthermore, because perinatal tissue injections do not require any kind of accompanying injection of medications (including anesthesia), there’s really nothing else that could cause any kind of adverse reaction. All of the “ingredients” being injected are natural components that your body already uses anyway.

Are You Looking for a Perinatal Tissue Care Specialist in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for a perinatal tissue care specialist, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online, or call our Austin office at 512-328-8900.

Unlike other types of organ or tissue transplants from donors, there is virtually no risk of rejection with perinatal tissue injections.

This is a special property of perinatal tissue. Since baby’s body and mom’s body aren’t necessarily biologically compatible, the perinatal tissue is naturally “immunoprivileged,” acting as a defensive barrier to prevent mom’s immune system from mistakenly attacking the growing fetus.

The unintended but very welcome benefit of this state of affairs is that your body won’t attack perinatal tissue either after an injection. You don’t have to be pregnant or even female for it to work.

Are You Looking for a Perinatal Tissue Care Specialist in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for perinatal tissue care, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512.328.8900.

Injections made from perinatal or amniotic tissue are sometimes advertised as a “stem cell” therapy, but that’s misleading at best.

Although perinatal tissue does naturally contain stem cells, by the time the tissue makes its way to the injectable form, there are no living stem cells remaining.

However, the growth factors and other key proteins that remain in the injectable material help “recruit” the stem cells you already have in your own body, directing them to the site of injury to repair the damage.

So it would be fair to say that stem cells are involved, but they are your own stem cells. You are not being injected with them.

Are You Looking for a Perinatal Tissue Care Specialist in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for perinatal tissue care, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online, or call our Austin office at 512-328-8900.

This is probably the most common question we get, and the good news is that you don’t have to worry!

Perinatal tissue is not fetal tissue. Instead, the tissue is gathered only after a healthy delivery by planned C-section. Mothers give their consent in advance to donate the tissue, and neither the mother nor the baby are harmed (or even affected) in any way.

Normally, perinatal tissue would simply be discarded as “medical waste,” but this way it can be reused to provide healing to others!

Are You Looking for a Perinatal Tissue Care Specialist in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for a perinatal tissue care specialist, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online, or call our Austin office at 512-328-8900.

An injection of cortisone is meant to alleviate painful symptoms quickly, for a relatively long period of time. But it doesn’t really help your body heal itself—at least not directly. It is merely a temporary “mask” for the pain, which can buy you time to address the root causes of the injury via other means. Cortisone injections also come with a risk of tissue damage, particularly if you get too many of them in too short a timeframe.

Perinatal tissue injections, by contrast, help with both pain and causes of pain. The injections will actually help power your body’s repair mechanisms so that you don’t just feel better—you get better, too. Having said that, perinatal tissue injections are not a magic bullet for permanent pain relief, especially if there are mechanical underlying factors (such as flat feet or other structural foot problems). In these cases, we may recommend other treatments (such as 3D-printed custom orthotics) to help you prevent the injury from returning.

Are You Looking for a Perinatal Tissue Care Specialist in Austin, TX?

If you are looking for perinatal tissue care, you should reach out to an experienced podiatrist. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can help. Our office provides a wide variety of advanced, effective treatment options for all kinds of painful conditions. Ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512.328.8900.