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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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Foot Self-Exam

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.

What should you look for to make sure your feet are healthy? Here are some general guidelines:

  • Balance. A good test for balance involves standing on one foot, with your arms out to the side and your eyes closed. If you are less than 30 years old, you should be able to balance for 15 seconds, 30 to 40 years old for 12 seconds, 40 to 50 years old for 10 seconds and over 50 years old for seven seconds. This can be improved with exercises.
  • Circulation. Look at the color of your toes. Do they look like a normal nail color or are they leaning towards red, white, purple, or blue? Press down on the nail of your big toe until the color blanches. Now let go and allow the blood flow to return to your toe. The return of normal color should take 2 to 5 seconds in a person with average circulation.
  • Flexibility. How flexible are your toes? Try to pick up a marble or a small dish towel with your toes. To test your ankle flexibility, hang your heel off of a stair. Now let the heel go below the level of the stair. If this causes pain, stop the test. If your heel goes below the level of the stair without causing strain in your calf, that is a good sign. If there is some strain, this can be improved with flexibility exercises.
  • Pain. A healthy foot does not produce any pain.
  • Sensation. Take a pencil eraser and lightly run it on the top, bottom, and both sides of your feet. The sensation should feel equal in all quadrants. It may tickle on the bottom of the feet. That is normal.
  • Skin. Check your skin for calluses, blisters, or areas of irritation. Stand next to your shoes. Are they shaped like your feet or are they causing areas of constriction that may result in irritation? Put your hand inside your shoe. Are there seams, tacks, or rough places in the shoe that correspond to calluses or blisters on your feet?

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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