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Dr. Peter F. Gregory, D.P.M.

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   17316 Farmington Road
    Livonia, MI 48152
    734-522-7676

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Diabetes and Your Feet

Our team of specialists and staff believe that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive patient library covering an array of educational topics. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about topics of interest to you. Or, for a more comprehensive search of our entire Web site, enter your term(s) in the search bar provided.

As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.

Diabetes is a lifelong chronic disease that is caused by high levels of sugar in the blood. It can also decrease your body's ability to fight off infections, which is especially harmful in your feet. When diabetes is not properly controlled, damage can occur to the organs and impairment of the immune system is also likely to occur.

With damage to your nervous system, you may not be able to feel your feet properly. Normal sweat secretion and oil production that lubricates the skin of the foot is impaired, which can lead to an abnormal pressure on the skin, bones, and joints of the foot during walking and other activities. This can even lead to the breakdown of the skin of the foot, which often causes sores to develop. If you have diabetes, it is important to prevent foot problems before they occur, recognize problems early, and seek the right treatment when a problem does happen.

Diabetic Complications and Your Feet

When it comes to your feet, there are several risk factors that can increase your chances of developing foot problems and diabetic infections in the legs and feet. First of all, poorly fitting shoes are one of the biggest culprits of diabetic foot complications. If you have red spots, sore spots, blisters, corns, calluses, or consistent pain associated with wearing shoes, new proper fitted shoes must be obtained immediately. Additionally, if you have common foot abnormalities such as flat feet, bunions, or hammertoes, prescription shoes or orthotics from your podiatrist may be necessary to further protect your feet from other damage.

People who have long-standing or poorly controlled diabetes are also at risk for having damage to the nerves in their feet, which is known in the medical community as peripheral neuropathy. If you have nerve damage, you may not be able to feel your feet normally and you may also be unable to sense the position of your feet and toes while walking and balancing, which can cause even more harm to your feet.

Normal nerves allow people to sense if their shoes are too tight or if their shoes are rubbing on the feet too much. With diabetes, you may not be able to properly sense minor injuries, such as cuts, scrapes and blisters-all signs of abnormal wear, tear, and foot strain. The following can also compromise the health of your feet:

  • Poor circulation
  • Trauma to the foot
  • Infections
  • Smoking

Diabetes can be extremely dangerous to your feet, so take precautions now. You can avoid serious problems such as losing a toe, foot, or leg by following proper prevention techniques offered by your podiatrist. Remember, prevention is the key to saving your feet and eliminating pain.


Patient Education

Patient Education Menu
  • What is a Podiatrist?
  • When To Call a Doctor
  • Foot Problems
    • General Statistics
    • Achilles Problems
      • Achilles Tendonitis
      • Peroneal Tendon Dislocation/Dysfunction
      • Xanthomas of the Achilles Tendon
    • Arch and Ball Problems
      • Flat Feet (over pronation)
      • Metatarsalgia (foot pain in ball)
      • Plantar Fibromas (lumps in the arch of the foot)
      • Sesamoiditis
      • Capsulitis
    • Common Foot Injuries
      • Ankle Sprain Injuries
      • Broken Ankle
      • Fractures
      • Osteochondritis (stiff ankle)
      • Osteochondromas
      • Shin Splints
      • Sports Injuries
    • Deformities
      • Amniotic Band Syndrome
      • Bunions
      • Claw Toe
      • Clubfoot
      • Dysplasia (Epiphysealis Hemimelica)
      • Enchondroma
      • Flat Feet
      • Gordon Syndrome
      • Haglund's Deformity
      • Hallux Limitus (Stiff Big Toe Joint)
      • Hallux Rigidus (Stiff Big Toe)
      • Hallux Varus
      • Hammertoes
      • Jackson Weiss Syndrome
      • Mallet Toes
      • Metatarsalgia
      • Osteomyelitis (Bone Infections)
      • Overlapping or Underlapping Toes
      • Peroneal Tendon Dislocation/Dysfunction
      • Sesamoiditis
      • Spurs
      • Tarsal Coalition
      • Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction
    • Diabetes and Your Feet
    • Diseases of the Foot
      • Arthritis
      • Cancer
      • Freiberg's Disease
      • Gout
      • Kaposi's Sarcoma (AIDS related)
      • Kohler's Disease
      • Maffucci's Syndrome
      • Ollier's Disease
      • Raynaud's Disease
      • Seiver's Disease
      • Sever's Disease
      • Charcot Foot
    • Heel Problems
      • Haglund's Deformity
      • Heel Callus
      • Heel Fissures
      • Plantar Fasciitis (heel spur)
    • Nail Problems
      • Black Toenails
      • Ingrown Toenails
      • Nail Fungus
    • Skin Problems
      • Allergies
      • Athlete's Foot (tinea pedis)
      • Blisters
      • Burning Feet
      • Calluses
      • Corns
      • Cysts
      • Frostbite
      • Fungus
      • Gangrene
      • Lesions
      • Psoriasis
      • Smelly Feet and Foot Odor
      • Swelling
      • Ulcers
      • Warts
    • Toe Problems
      • Bunions
      • Claw Toe
      • Digital Deformity
      • Hallux Limitus (stiff big toe joint)
      • Hallux Rigidis (rigid big toe)
      • Hallux Varus
      • Hammertoes
      • Intoeing
      • Overlapping, Underlapping Toes
      • Subungal Exotosis (bone spur under toenail)
      • Turf Toe
    • Vascular/Nerve Problems
      • Acrocyanosis
      • Alcoholic Neuropathy
      • Chilblains (cold feet)
      • Erythromelalgia
      • Ischemic Foot
      • Neuroma
      • Spasms
      • Venous Stasis
    • Ankle Problems
      • Ankle Sprain
      • Chronic Lateral Ankle Pain
      • Osteochondritis
    • Fungus Problems
      • Common Fungal Problems
      • Athlete's Foot (Tinea Pedis)
      • Fungal Nails
  • Foot Care
    • Basic Foot Care Guidelines
    • Self-Assessment Quiz
    • Athletic Foot Care
    • Blisters
    • Bunion Prevention
    • Burning Feet
    • Children's Feet
    • Corns and Calluses
    • Diabetic Foot Care
    • Foot Care For Seniors
    • Fungus Problems
      • Athlete's Foot
      • Common Fungal Problems
      • Fungal Nails
      • Other Tips
      • Prevention
    • Ingrown Nails
    • Nutrition For Your Feet
    • Foot Odor and Smelly Feet
      • Prevention
      • Treating Foot Odor
    • Pedicures
    • Foot Self-exam
    • Women's Feet
      • High Heels
      • Pregnancy
      • Stockings?
      • Women Over 65
    • Your Feet at Work
    • Exercise Those Toes!
  • Medical Care
    • Pain Management
      • General Information and Tips
      • Pain Management for Specific Conditions
    • Diagnostic Procedures
      • Computed Tomography
      • MRI
      • Ultrasound
      • X-Rays
    • Orthotics
    • Surgical Procedures
      • Achilles Surgery
      • Ankle Surgery
      • Arthritis Surgery
      • Arthroscopy
      • Bunion Surgery
      • Cyst Removal
      • Flatfoot Correction
      • General Information
      • Heel Surgery
      • Metatarsal Surgery
      • Nerve Surgery (Neuroma)
      • Toe Surgery
      • Hammertoe Surgery
    • Therapies
      • Athlete's Foot Treatment
      • Cryotherapy
      • Extracorporeal Shock Wave
      • Neurolysis
      • Physical Therapy
      • Iontophoresis
  • Fitness and Your Feet
    • Aerobics
    • Exercise Those Toes!
    • Fitness And Your Feet
    • Sports and Your Feet
      • Jogging and Running
      • Basketball
      • Baseball
      • Cycling
      • Golf
      • Tennis
    • Stretching
    • Walking and Your Feet
    • General Information About Fitness and Your Feet
    • Work Footwear
  • Shoes
    • Anatomy of a Shoe
    • What To Look For
    • Your Footprint
    • Wear Patterns
    • Children's Shoes
    • Corrective and Prescription Shoes
    • Men's Shoes
    • Women's Shoes
    • Athletic Shoe Guidelines
    • Getting a Proper Fit
  • Links
    • Government
    • Online Resources
    • Associations/Groups
  • Foot Anatomy
  • Overview of Feet and Ankle Problems
  • Basic Foot Care Guidelines

Our Location

Peter F. Gregory, D.P.M.
17316 Farmington Road
Livonia, MI 48152

734-522-7676

Office Hours

  Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
09:00 AM - 04:30 PM
09:00 AM - 04:30 PM
closed
09:00 AM - 04:30 PM
09:00 AM - 04:00 PM
09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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