Department of Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics facilities
The Department of Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics has facilities and clinics that support health and wellbeing education, research and practice.
Our students have access to contemporary facilities including clinical treatment rooms and laboratory space at the La Trobe Podiatry Clinic, a purpose-built telehealth facility, clinical rehabilitation gym, three-dimensional gait laboratory and practical laboratory workspaces.
Our facilities include:
The gait laboratory is a 750m2 flat floor space that is used for research and teaching activities related to gait analysis.
The laboratory features a Vicon three-dimensional motion analysis system with four force platforms embedded in the floor of a 12-metre walkway.
It also houses equipment that assess spatiotemporal parameters of walking, two isokinetic strength dynamometers, a three-dimensional foot scanner and an electromyographic system.
Find out more about the gait laboratory.
The La Trobe Podiatry Clinic offers high quality services to the community – treating and managing a wide range of foot and ankle conditions – as well as training in manufacturing of prosthetics and orthotics.
Students enrolled in Podiatry courses have an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills at the clinic, under the supervision of experienced clinicians and clinical educators.
The clinic is equipped with spaces for private consultations, as well as laboratories to facilitate group learning.
Find out more about the Podiatry Clinic.
The prosthetic and orthotic laboratory provides students with a hands-on learning experience in prescribing, designing, fabricating and fitting prosthetic and orthotic devices.
It is equipped with instruments that allow our students to learn the entire process, from assessing a client’s needs, through to creating a device and fitting it.
The laboratory also features clinical spaces for client consultations and assessments, and a machine room with equipment to fabricate industry-standard prosthetics and orthotics.
Find out more about the prosthetic and orthotic laboratory.
Telehealth training facilities will be built at La Trobe University to ensure best practice training for allied health and nursing students, and better equip clinicians undertaking professional development.
La Trobe will contribute $2.6 million to the project, with $1.6 million coming from the Victorian Government, as part of the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund.
The refurbishment of the clinical teaching spaces at La Trobe’s Bundoora and Bendigo campuses will include improvements to room acoustics, lighting and networking; a telehealth AV setup including microphone, cameras, display screens and computers; technology to stream or record video for larger groups of students or professionals; and mobile telehealth hardware to allow for high quality offsite telehealth consultations.
As part of the initiative, La Trobe academics will undertake research to improve the evidence base in telehealth.
Find out more about the telehealth training facility.
The Department’s facilities – including simulation laboratories, workshops and public clinics – support our innovative, hands-on education programs to ensure our students are well prepared for their clinical placements and future careers as health professionals.
World class gait facility
Our innovative laboratory is improving our understanding of the musculoskeletal system.