Diabetic Foot Care

Complete support from one trusted source.

If you have diabetes, you know how important it is to care for your feet. Even common conditions such as corns or bunions can turn serious if they’re not watched closely.

When you need total diabetic foot care, turn to the specialists at Henry Ford Health. We offer comprehensive services, with the aim of protecting your feet and keeping you out of the hospital.

Diabetic foot care: Why choose Henry Ford?

As a regional healthcare leader, Henry Ford has the resources you need for complete diabetic foot care. We offer:

• Specialty care: Our foot and ankle team includes orthopedic surgeons, podiatric surgeons and podiatrists. They work directly with endocrinologists, vascular specialists, wound care doctors and other experts within the Henry Ford network. You get the most comprehensive diabetic foot care from one trusted source.
• Easy access: In addition to multiple foot and ankle clinics, we have several wound care centers and more than 20 physical therapy locations in the region. Wherever you live in southeast or central Michigan, it’s easy to find the care you need. Find a location.
• Innovative procedures: Some foot conditions may require surgery to save the limb. Our surgeons have extensive training and expertise in limb salvage procedures for people with diabetes.

Diabetic foot conditions

Due to nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy) and poor circulation, people with diabetes can lose feeling in their feet. They can then develop serious foot conditions without realizing it. Simple problems can quickly lead to blisters, foot ulcers or open wounds. If these injuries get infected, the entire limb is at risk.

Diabetes can also lead to a form of flat foot called Charcot foot. This condition occurs when the foot bones break and collapse due to nerve damage and lack of feeling. Charcot foot can lead to dangerous sores or bone infections. 

Diabetic foot treatment

Whenever possible, we treat foot conditions before they develop into larger problems for people with diabetes, including calluses, bunions and hammertoes.

Our podiatrists can also provide care for complications at our wound clinics at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and Henry Ford Medical Center - Pierson. Treatments include:

• Wound cleaning (debridement)
• Total contact casting
• Soft casts or boots to take pressure off foot sores (offloading)
• Wound grafts
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Negative pressure wound therapy

Tips for healthy feet

It’s essential for people with diabetes to monitor their feet closely. In addition to regular checkups with your primary care doctor and a foot specialist, daily foot care should involve:

• Applying hypoallergenic moisturizing lotion to the feet to prevent cracking
• Gently exfoliating thick calluses (never try to remove corns)
• Inspecting the tops, bottoms and toes of the feet for blisters, ulcers and swelling
• Keeping feet warm and dry with loose-fitting socks
• Trimming toenails regularly to prevent ingrown nails
• Washing feet each day with warm water and mild soap
• Wearing well-fitting shoes and never walking barefoot

Watch as foot surgeon Dr. Nicole Brouyette explains why seeing a podiatrist is important.