This overview is for informational purposes only and is not an endorsement. Services, availability, and licensing can change – please verify current details directly with the facility.

Most people book a podiatrist for one of three things: a nail that will not clear, a foot that hurts when they walk, or an injury that needs imaging. Pasadena Podiatry Group handles the first two directly.

The practice sits at 65 N Madison Ave, Suite 512, in central Pasadena, and its telephone number is (626) 577-0700. Dr. Joseph Ferrante, a board-certified podiatrist, runs it, and the practice describes itself as specialising in custom arch supports and orthotics for all ages.

What follows is what the office actually treats, plus plain explanations of the three services people search for most before booking: nail fungus laser treatment, gait analysis and foot x-rays. Not every practice offers every one, so it is worth knowing what each does before you call.

A straight-on, symmetrical, bright daylight photograph captures a seven-story, cream-colored Art Deco-style building under a clear blue sky with a few wispy clouds. The full facade is centered and framed by well-maintained landscaping including bushes with vibrant pink and red flowers. Large palm trees are visible on the left, and a single, tall street lamp stands to the right. The upper six floors feature uniform rows of recessed rectangular windows. The ground floor has distinct storefronts. Above the left-most windows, signs read "Madison" and "Hair Salon". Over the next entrance is a sign with text, part of which reads "Esteslice". The grand, recessed central entrance is defined by a deep archway with decorative relief. Above the right-side storefronts, text reads "Union Street Yoga" and "Madison" and "Radiology".

What Pasadena Podiatry Group Treats

The practice covers general foot and ankle care rather than a single niche. Its published list runs from everyday nail and skin problems to surgery.

The conditions listed on the practice website include heel pain, fungus toenails, ingrown toenails, corns and calluses, flat feet, high arches, bunions, hammer toes, arch pain, ankle pain, plantar warts, children’s foot conditions, nerve conditions of the foot and foot surgery.

Diabetic care is a named focus, covering diabetic foot care, diabetic ulcers and diabetic neuropathy. Custom arch supports and custom orthotics for both children and adults appear on the list twice, which is consistent with how the practice describes itself.

Office hours are Monday to Friday, with the office closed on weekends. That matters for a foot problem that flares on a Saturday, and knowing what a walk-in clinic in Pasadena can and cannot do saves a wasted trip.

What Does Nail Fungus Laser Treatment Actually Do?

Laser treatment heats the nail to damage the fungus living under it, and it works for some people. It is also less effective than the medicines, which is the part marketing pages tend to skip.

How Well It Works

MedlinePlus puts it plainly: laser treatments may sometimes get rid of the fungus in the nails, and this is less effective than medicines. The same page notes that medicines clear the fungus in about half of the people who try them, and that the infection may return even when treatment works.

Timing is the other expectation to set. The infection is cured by the growth of new, uninfected nails, and nails grow slowly, so it may take up to a year for a clear nail to appear. A laser session does not produce a visible result the following week.

Who Is at Higher Risk

Fungal nail infections are more common with age, and MedlinePlus lists diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy, minor nail injuries, long-term moist skin, immune system problems and footwear that does not let air reach the feet as things that raise the risk.

Diagnosis is worth doing before treatment. A provider can confirm the infection by looking at nail scrapings under a microscope or sending them for culture, which also identifies the type of fungus. A thickened yellow nail is not always fungal, and treating the wrong thing wastes months.

Where to Ask About Laser

Not every podiatry office has a laser, so ask directly when you call rather than assuming. Practices differ, and cost is rarely covered by insurance because the treatment is often classed as cosmetic.

In the wider Los Angeles area, Arkady Kaplansky, DPM is one podiatrist whose listed services include laser treatment for warts and pain along with a nail-brace approach to ingrown toenails, which gives a sense of what a laser-equipped office offers.

What Is Gait Analysis, and Who Needs It?

Gait analysis is a structured look at how you walk or run, usually on a treadmill with video, to find the movement pattern behind a recurring pain. It is most useful when the same injury keeps coming back.

The point is not the video, it is what gets changed afterwards. An umbrella review published in Sports Medicine – Open in June 2026 looked at eight reviews of gait retraining in runners and found the most consistent strategies were increasing cadence by about 5 to 10% and using softer-landing cues, delivered with feedback that is gradually withdrawn.

The results were modest and honest. Short-term improvements in pain and function were the most consistent findings, while effects on injury prevention and longer-term outcomes were less consistent, and most trials followed people for three months or less.

One safety note from the same review is worth carrying into a first appointment: changes introduced too quickly were linked to symptom flare-ups or calf and Achilles discomfort. A gradual, supervised change beats rebuilding your stride in a week. Recurring knee pain can also come from the joint itself rather than the foot, which is part of what an assessment sorts out.

When Does a Foot Need an X-Ray?

A foot x-ray is the fast first look when a bone or joint problem is suspected after an injury or a fall. It is quick, widely available and low-dose.

RadiologyInfo, produced by the Radiological Society of North America and the American College of Radiology, describes bone x-ray as the fastest and easiest way to view and assess fractures, injuries and joint abnormalities, including images of the ankle or foot. Two or three images from different angles are usually taken, and the exam is normally finished within five to ten minutes.

The limits matter as much as the uses. X-rays give little information about muscles, tendons or joints, and MRI may be more useful for subtle or hidden fractures, bone bruises and soft-tissue injury. If your order names a different scan than you expected, reading a Pasadena imaging order explains why.

X-rays are also used to look for infection, arthritis, abnormal bone growths, bony changes from metabolic conditions and foreign objects in the soft tissue around bone. For a foot, that last one covers a surprising share of visits.

Foot Care When You Have Diabetes

Diabetic foot care is the part of podiatry that prevents emergencies rather than treating them. If you have diabetes, a routine foot check is not a luxury appointment.

The CDC states that about half of all people with diabetes have some kind of nerve damage, and that nerves in the feet and legs are most often affected. Lost sensation means a cut, blister or sore can go unnoticed until it is already infected.

The CDC’s guidance is to check your feet every day, wash them in warm not hot water and dry them completely, never go barefoot even indoors, wear shoes that fit and try new ones on at the end of the day, trim toenails straight across, and have a foot doctor do the trimming if you cannot see or reach your feet. It also advises against removing corns or calluses yourself.

If an ulcer does develop, MedlinePlus explains that treatment usually involves debridement, which removes dead skin and tissue and should never be attempted at home, plus taking pressure off the ulcer with special shoes, a brace or a cast so it can heal. Pressure sores elsewhere on the body follow the same stages and the same early warning signs.

Orthotics, Insurance and What to Ask

Custom orthotics are the practice’s stated speciality, and coverage is the question most people want answered first. Ask about it before the casting appointment, not after.

Plans differ widely. Some cover custom inserts only for specific diagnoses such as diabetic foot disease, some cover part of the cost, and some exclude them entirely. Ask the office which plans they bill directly, what documentation your plan requires, and what the cost would be if the claim is denied.

Ask two more practical questions. How long do the inserts take to arrive, and what happens if they are uncomfortable once you start wearing them, since adjustment is normal and a practice that expects it will say so upfront.

Foot and leg symptoms sometimes turn out to be circulatory rather than structural, with aching, swelling or heaviness in the legs pointing elsewhere. A venous specialist handles that side of things, and it is worth raising if your symptoms fit that description better than a mechanical one.

Finding the Right Podiatrist in Pasadena

Match the practice to the problem. A nail, a bunion and a recurring running injury are three different appointments, and not every office is set up for all three.

For general foot and ankle care, including diabetic checks, nail problems and custom orthotics, a long-established local practice such as this one covers most of what people need. For laser nail treatment or advanced gait work, ask specifically whether the equipment and the service are available before booking.

Languages and location are practical filters too. Mark Lembersky, DPM is a Los Angeles podiatrist with more than thirty years in practice whose service areas include Pasadena and who sees patients in English and Russian, with a clinical focus on wound care and limb preservation.

If getting to an office is the obstacle, the directory of doctors in the network can be filtered to find clinicians who see patients closer to home. Confirm current licence status for any podiatrist with the California Board of Podiatric Medicine before your first visit.