Private Foot Ultrasound Scan in London

The foot is one of the areas ultrasound is best at, because almost everything that causes foot pain sits close to the surface, within easy reach of a high-frequency probe. An ultrasound scan of the foot images the plantar fascia, the heel fat pad, the interdigital nerves, the plantar plates and small joints, the flexor and extensor tendons, the midfoot ligaments and any lumps or fluid.

It is painless, radiation-free, takes about 25 to 35 minutes and needs no preparation. At London Private Ultrasound it is performed by an MSK-specialist clinician who explains the findings in the room.

A private foot ultrasound scan with us starts at £199 for one foot, or £299 for both feet, all-inclusive, at our Central London (Harley Street Medical District) and St Albans clinics. Both prices cover the MSK-specialist appointment, the full scan, a dynamic assessment, same-day verbal results and a written report with images within 24 hours, with no added fees.

Booking both feet together saves £99 against two separate single-foot appointments, which is worth considering for heel pain and forefoot problems where a side-to-side comparison adds to the answer.

Private ultrasound scans in the UK generally run from about £100 to £350 for a single area, depending on the region scanned, who performs and reports it, and whether a specialist consultation is included. Musculoskeletal scans such as a foot ultrasound usually sit in the £150 to £300 band. Ours is £199 for one foot and £299 for both.

When comparing foot ultrasound cost between clinics, check whether the quote covers the clinician’s assessment and the written report, and whether an MSK specialist performs the scan. Those are the differences that usually explain a lower headline price.

A private podiatry appointment in London typically costs around £60 to £150 for an initial consultation, with biomechanical assessments and custom orthotics charged separately and often running into several hundred pounds.

A podiatrist assesses your gait, footwear and foot function; a foot ultrasound answers a different question, which is what is structurally wrong inside the foot. The two work well together. Many of our patients are sent by their podiatrist for imaging and take the report straight back to them, and we are happy to send it directly.

An ultrasound scan of the foot shows the soft tissues in high resolution and in real time: the plantar fascia and heel fat pad, the interdigital nerves where Morton’s neuroma forms, the plantar plates and metatarsophalangeal joints, the flexor and extensor tendons and their sheaths, the midfoot and Lisfranc ligament complex, bursae between the metatarsal heads, and any lumps, cysts or fluid.

It identifies plantar fasciitis and fascia tears, Morton’s neuroma, plantar plate tears, joint synovitis and gout, tendinopathy and tenosynovitis, plantar fibromas and ganglions, and foreign bodies such as glass or splinters. Because the scan is dynamic, the clinician can squeeze and move the forefoot to reproduce your symptoms while watching the screen.

An ultrasound scan for foot pain is most useful when the pain has a specific location you can point to. Heel pain underneath the foot, arch pain, burning or numbness in the ball of the foot, a swollen or hot toe joint, pain that follows a particular tendon, and a lump you can feel are all well suited to it.

It also earns its place when the diagnosis is uncertain, because several foot problems feel identical to the patient while being treated in completely different ways. A Morton’s neuroma, a plantar plate tear and an inflamed bursa all sit within millimetres of each other under the ball of the foot, and ultrasound separates them in a single appointment.

Yes, ultrasound is the first-line imaging test for plantar fasciitis and for heel pain generally. It measures the thickness of the plantar fascia at the heel, where a thickened fascia is the key diagnostic sign, and shows the degeneration, fluid and increased blood flow that come with it.

It also picks up a partial or complete plantar fascia tear, thinning of the heel fat pad, and plantar fibromas along the arch, all of which can feel similar to the patient while being managed differently. If your scan confirms plantar fasciitis, an ultrasound-guided injection can often be arranged where rehabilitation alone has not settled it.

Yes. Ultrasound is a first-line test for Morton’s neuroma, the thickening of an interdigital nerve that causes burning pain, numbness or the feeling of a pebble under the ball of the foot, most often between the third and fourth toes. The scan measures the neuroma, confirms which web space it sits in, and can reproduce the classic click as the forefoot is squeezed while the clinician watches live.

It also distinguishes a neuroma from the conditions that mimic it, such as bursitis between the metatarsal heads, a plantar plate tear or MTP joint synovitis. Where treatment is appropriate, the neuroma can be injected under ultrasound guidance.

Each test has its own job, and the honest answer to whether a scan can miss a foot injury is that it depends on which test you choose. X-ray is the correct first test for a suspected broken foot and for bony alignment. Ultrasound is the first-line test for the soft tissues: the fascia, nerves, plantar plates, tendons, joints, bursae and lumps, and it is the only one that shows the foot working under load. MRI is best for stress fractures, bone marrow changes, deep hindfoot problems and surgical planning.

Ultrasound can sometimes show a step in the surface of a bone or an avulsion fragment where a tendon pulls off, which is useful supporting information. If your history points to a bone injury, we will say so on the day and direct you to the right imaging, and if you cannot weight-bear after trauma, please attend urgent care for an X-ray first.

A musculoskeletal foot scan looks at the soft tissue structures. Circulation is a different examination: a Doppler ultrasound of the leg and foot assesses blood flow in the arteries and veins, checks for a clot in the leg veins, and looks at venous reflux where swelling and varicose veins are the concern.

If your symptoms are swelling, heaviness, discoloured skin or a cold and painful foot, tell us when you book and we will arrange the correct Doppler study, either an DVT Doppler or an arterial assessment, on its own or alongside the MSK scan.

The NHS does offer foot ultrasound, usually after a GP or podiatry referral and often following a period of physiotherapy or insoles, with a wait for the appointment and then a further wait for the report.

A private foot scan suits people who want a fast, specialist answer, frequently the same or next day, with the findings explained in the room. We work alongside the NHS: the report is written so your GP, podiatrist or an NHS orthopaedic team can act on it, and where something needs urgent attention we write a referral letter the same day.

Yes. You can self-refer and book directly online using the booking links on this page, by phone on 020 7101 3377, or on WhatsApp, with same-day and next-day appointments often available at both clinics.

Referrals from podiatrists, physiotherapists, sports therapists and GPs are equally welcome, and if you have previous X-ray, ultrasound or MRI reports for the foot, bring them so the clinician can read today’s findings in context.

Allow about 25 to 35 minutes for one foot, or a little longer for both. You sit or lie on the couch with the foot supported, warm gel is applied to the skin, and the clinician moves a small probe over the sole, the arch, the top of the foot and around the toes, viewing the structures on screen. It is painless, with no needles and nothing internal.

You will be asked to flex and spread the toes, and the forefoot may be gently squeezed to reproduce your symptoms. Where it helps, part of the scan is done standing so the fascia and joints are seen under load. Your findings are explained straight afterwards, the written report follows within 24 hours, and you can walk out and carry on with your day.

Yes. An ultrasound of both feet is £299 and is done in a single visit, with one clinician, one appointment and one report covering both sides. That is a £99 saving against booking two single-foot scans.

It is worth choosing when both feet are symptomatic, when you want the sore foot measured against the other side, or when you are being assessed for something that can affect both, such as gout, inflammatory arthritis or a flat-foot change in a runner or walker.

Book the foot scan if your pain is in the sole, the heel underneath, the arch, the ball of the foot or the toes, which covers plantar fasciitis, Morton’s neuroma, plantar plate tears and forefoot problems. Book an ankle scan if your symptoms are at the ankle joint, the back of the heel or the Achilles, the inner or outer ankle bone, or after a sprain.

Heel pain sits on the border: pain underneath the heel is a foot scan, pain at the back of the heel is an ankle scan. If your symptoms span both areas, a combined appointment can be selected in the booking calendar above, and if you are unsure, call 020 7101 3377 and we will tell you which appointment to book.

Yes, in the right circumstances. Ultrasound is radiation-free, which makes it well suited to children, and it is used for heel pain, a soft-tissue lump, a swollen or painful toe, a suspected foreign body such as glass or a splinter, and sports injuries in young athletes and dancers.

Please call us on 020 7101 3377 before booking a child foot ultrasound scan so we can confirm suitability and arrange the right clinician and appointment length. A parent or guardian stays in the room throughout, at both our Central London and St Albans clinics.

Ultrasound can assess the soft-tissue side of a diabetic foot: tendon and joint changes, fluid collections, an abscess or a suspected foreign body, and the small joints where infection or Charcot changes may be suspected.

A full diabetic foot assessment is a wider review covering circulation testing, nerve sensation testing and skin and wound care, which a podiatry or diabetic foot service provides. Where the question is circulation, an arterial Doppler of the leg and foot is the correct scan and we can arrange one. If you have diabetes and a new ulcer, a hot swollen foot or a wound that is spreading, please seek urgent medical care straight away.

Yes. If the scan confirms a treatable problem, an ultrasound-guided foot injection can often be arranged: a plantar fascia injection for stubborn heel pain, a Morton’s neuroma injection, an MTP joint injection for synovitis or gout, or a tendon sheath injection.

Placing the needle under live ultrasound means it goes exactly where it is needed, which matters in the foot because the structures are small and sit close together. Our one-stop orthopaedic and MSK clinic can take you from scan to treatment quickly. Treatment is booked and charged separately from the scan.

Our Central London clinic is at 27 Welbeck Street, W1G 8EN, in the Harley Street Medical District, two minutes from Bond Street and a short walk from Oxford Circus and Marylebone, which covers most searches for a foot scan near me or a private foot ultrasound near me in central London.

Our second clinic is at 54–56 Victoria Street, St Albans AL1 3HZ, a short walk from St Albans City station, serving Hertfordshire and North London. Both run the same scan, from £199, seven days a week between 9am and 7pm.