Frequently Asked Questions

While Dr Walker is a Sports & Exercise Physician Specialist, a referral is not required unlike most other specialists. As an RACGP fellow (general practitioner) as well as a Sports & Exercise Physician, this allows you to be seen without a referral required. This saves you both time and money on booking extra appointments with various specialists.

Absolutely. Anyone is welcome to make an appointment to see Dr Duncan Walker. While a significant amount of his time is involved with elite athletes, from the AFL to gymnastics, he is also passionate about ensuring health optimisation/quality of life for any age group, regardless of whether or not they are involved in any activity at present. Keeping active at any age is vital for overall health and quality of life.

We accept all major credit/debit cards.

Absolutely. Dr Walker, like other doctors, operates through the Medicare system, so there is no requirement to have private health insurance. Part of your consultation/services will be reimbursed to you by Medicare.

Dr Walker will be operating from the following clinics throughout the week: Physio Smart, MyPhysioSA (Mt Barker) & The Physio Studio. For further information on these locations, as well as their designated consulting days, please visit our Booking & Fees page.

Preference is in-person reviews to discuss your results and help develop a management plan. However in certain circumstances, we can arrange to provide your results via email. Please reach out to us via email at info@drdw.com if this is something you require.

Yes! As a first time patient with Dr Duncan Walker, and to save time on the day of your appointment, we ask that you please fill out the ‘Patient Registration Form’ prior to arriving at the clinic on the day of your appointment. A link to this form should have been sent securely to your nominated email address upon booking your appointment online. Please ensure you check your spam/junk inbox as sometimes it can slip through there. If you have any issues accessing the form, please reach out to us via email at info@drdw.com.au and we would be more than happy to email through an extra copy.

Fees are determined on a case by case basis, depending on what treatment options you require. Patients will be required to pay the entire upfront fee upon completion of their appointment. Our Team will then submit your Medicare Claim rebate for you on our end, after which you will be refunded your rebate into your nominated account. For more details on pricing, please go to our Booking & Fees page, or alternatively, feel free to contact us directly, via our Contact page. Please Note: **The prices stated on our ‘Booking & Fees’ page is the Total out-of-pocket / gap charge (after Medicare rebate). In the majority of cases, upfront payment total at the time of your appointment will be slightly more.

We know that sometimes injuries can occur unexpectedly, and as such Dr Duncan Walker will always do his best to schedule emergency appointments to those that require them. If you require an emergency appointment, please reach out to us via email at info@drdw.com.au, with your name, reason for emergency appointment, and your mobile number, and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.

Yes! Existing patients of Duncan’s can now request a repeat script or referral for prescriptions or referrals that have previously been provided to you, without having to book in a face-to-face consultation appointment. Dr Walker has the right to deny a repeat request, and patients will be notified if this is the case. Please note: Non-rebatable service fees and conditions apply. Visit our Booking & Fees page, for further details on pricing and how to process your request.

Whilst we understand that unexpected circumstances can occur, we kindly ask that you provide us with at least 24 hours notice if you need to cancel your appointment. To ensure fair access for others, any cancellations or non-attendances made after this period will be considered a late cancellation, and you may be required to pay for the time that was reserved for you. Having said that, we recognise that things happen in life, which can make it hard to give 24 hours notice, like sickness or medical emergencies. If this is the case, please reach out to our friendly reception staff via email at info@drdw.com.au to let us know.

If you haven’t been able to find the answer to your question above, then please head to our Contact page, and submit your enquiry through our enquiry form. Alternatively, feel free to email us directly at info@drdw.com.au, and the team will endeavour to respond to your enquiry as soon as possible.

Common causes of leg pain include muscle/tendon strains, nerve compression, bone stress, compartment syndrome and circulatory issues. Accurate diagnosis followed by various non-surgical treatments ranging from simple stretches and strengthening, to gait analysis, or occasionally injections such as cortisone, can help.

Common symptoms of a concussion may include headaches, dizziness, memory problems, and nausea. Management involves rest, avoiding stimulating activities, and gradually returning to normal routines under medical guidance.

Simple load management under medical guidance is usually all that is required. However for prolonged concussions various interventions such as neurovestibular treatment, optometry and medications, can be effective in alleviating post-concussion symptoms and promoting recovery.

The recovery time for a concussion varies from person to person largely dependent on genetics and age. However the vast majority (90%) are fully recovered within 10 days. It is however essential to follow your doctor’s guidance for when it’s safe to return to normal activities.

A comprehensive health assessment includes a thorough review of medical history, physical examinations, and diagnostic tests. Concussion baseline testing (often involving computerised testing), blood tests, ECG/cardiac check and a review of injury history, is undertaken, alongside a medical and health evaluation.

The pre-season health assessment is required in all high level sports. It is crucial for early detection of potential health/injury risks and in creating a personalised care plan. Catching small issues early (such as iron deficiency), help ensure a safe and successful season. Optimising your health and ability to adapt to training/performance, along with reducing injury risk, is the aim.

Cortisone is part of the corticosteroid hormone group produced in our body. Corticosteroids, also known as cortisol, are hormones secreted by our adrenal glands used to keep the body functioning. They often increase in response to significant body stress and are a very potent anti-inflammatory.

As an anti-inflammatory. However they do not act in the same way as NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as the ones at the pharmacy) do and so is an alternative way to reduce inflammation in a specific area. To reduce or eliminate pain associated with inflammation related disorders (e.g. tenosynovitis, tendinitis, bursitis, arthritis). Although often helpful in relieving pain, it is also only one part of the long-term treatment and prevention. To confirm or exclude a specific diagnosis. The use of local anaesthetic with corticosteroid can be useful in establishing the diagnosis, as well as treatment.

Significant pain relief occurs in approximately 70% of cases. For some this relief is dramatic and long-lasting, while for others the benefit is only modest and short-lived. In the case of tendinitis, we principally use this pain free period to normalize movement and biomechanics, and with reduced pain it allows us to facilitate rehabilitation and exercise progression. In other cases, such as tenosynovitis or bursitis a single cortisone is often all that is required to resolve the cause of the pain.

Standard sterile precautions are always undertaken. Ultrasound guidance is used to ensure accurate placement. Local anaesthetic is often mixed with the cortisone, and occasionally nerve blocks to completely numb the area. Regardless however, in the vast majority the discomfort is extremely mild, and the needle is often the same size as those used when having a vaccination.

Studies have shown ultrasound greatly improves accuracy during injection (often from 70% without ultrasound to 98% with ultrasound). This ensures that the cortisone is placed where it is most needed, which is important to maximise results, accurately confirm diagnosis, and minimise discomfort.

If you are an athlete subject to drug testing by ASADA / WADA, cortisone injections are only banned in competition and do not require a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

Side-effects can occur like with any medication, but happily significant complications with cortisone injections are extremely rare.