About
Foot & ankle surgeon, Melbourne Orthopaedic Group — more than 25 years of surgical experience, and a practice devoted exclusively to the foot and ankle since 2011.
Background
Mr Schneider has practised as an orthopaedic surgeon for more than 25 years, and exclusively within foot and ankle surgery since 2011 — a deliberate narrowing of scope that reflects the increasing sub-specialisation of the field. Where general orthopaedic practice once encompassed the whole skeleton, the complexity of modern foot and ankle reconstruction, deformity correction, and joint replacement now warrants the same depth of focus given to hip, knee, or spine surgery. Mr Schneider's practice sits entirely within that sub-specialty.
He completed his medical degree at Monash University and his surgical training at The Alfred Hospital, one of Melbourne's principal trauma and tertiary referral centres, before being admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1997. His subsequent fellowship in Foot & Ankle Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch provided dedicated training in the full breadth of the sub-specialty, from forefoot reconstruction through to complex hindfoot and ankle pathology. Further training in the Ilizarov method — a specialised technique for gradual, staged correction of severe or complex bony deformity, developed in the Soviet Union and refined internationally — was undertaken in Lecco, Italy, one of a small number of centres worldwide recognised for this training.
That combination of general orthopaedic grounding, dedicated sub-specialty fellowship, and advanced deformity-correction training underpins a practice now spanning the full spectrum of foot and ankle conditions: degenerative and inflammatory joint disease, sports and traumatic injury, paediatric and adult deformity, and diabetic foot complications, treated through both non-surgical management and the full range of reconstructive and joint-replacement surgery. Mr Schneider consults across three Melbourne locations — Windsor, Melbourne CBD, and Anglesea — and holds hospital operating privileges through Melbourne Orthopaedic Group.
Approach to care
Mr Schneider's approach is built on a structured clinical process rather than a default toward any particular treatment. A detailed history and clinical examination form the basis of every consultation, with imaging directed by clinical findings rather than ordered as routine. Non-surgical management is presented as a genuine first option wherever it is clinically appropriate — not a formality on the way to a surgical recommendation — and where surgery is indicated, the aim is a technically sound procedure matched to the specific pathology, with a realistic, clearly explained recovery pathway.
A detailed history establishing symptoms, functional impact, and prior treatment.
A structured clinical examination to localise the pathology and establish severity.
X-ray, ultrasound, CT or MRI where clinically indicated, so any recommendation is built on an objective diagnosis.
Qualifications & training
The Ilizarov method — using an external fixator to gradually correct severe bone deformity or length discrepancy — is a specialised skill set outside standard orthopaedic training, reserved for a small number of complex reconstructive cases.
Memberships
Membership of the European Foot and Ankle Society, IBRA, and GRECMIP — international bodies focused specifically on foot and ankle reconstruction and minimally invasive technique — reflects ongoing engagement with international practice in the sub-specialty, alongside domestic standing through RACS and the AOA.
Registration and fellowship details are verifiable directly with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Medical Board of Australia.
Scope of practice
Exclusive focus on the foot and ankle since 2011 has allowed a depth of practice across the full range of presentations — not a narrow selection of high-volume procedures — spanning the following areas:
Teaching, fellowship & research
Mr Schneider is Program Director of Melbourne Orthopaedic Group's Foot & Ankle Fellowship, a six-month, structured training program accredited by the Australian Orthopaedic Association — a formal recognition that the program meets national standards for post-Fellowship sub-specialty training. He holds this role alongside colleagues Mr David Shepherd and Mr Adrian Talia. Over more than 20 years, the program has hosted upwards of 20 surgeons from overseas health systems, including England, Scotland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, the United States, and Canada — surgeons who return to their home countries to practise foot and ankle surgery having trained under this program. Directing an AOA-accredited fellowship is itself a peer-recognised marker of standing within the sub-specialty, distinct from clinical practice alone, and reflects an ongoing role in shaping the next generation of foot and ankle surgeons rather than a solely clinical career.
Foot & Ankle International
Foot & Ankle International
Foot & Ankle International
Book chapter — Foot and Ankle Sports Orthopaedics, Springer
A GP or specialist referral is required for a Medicare rebate. Referrals can be arranged in advance of a first consultation where required, Mr Schneider's team can guide you through the next step.