Feet take us to where we need to go. We use them for running, walking, climbing, dancing, jumping and more. And yet, most people often lack the consideration of the construction of the foot and the significant relevance to every day life and the importance our feet play on our activities of daily living.
FOOT BONES, ANOMALIES
Humans have twenty-six to twenty-eight bones in each foot which may include supernumerary sesamoid bones found on the plantar aspect of the foot posterior to the first digit.
FOOT BONES, DIGITS
Fourteen of the twenty-eight bones are found in the toes. Each toe has three bones, except the big toe, which has two.
FLAT FEET
Flat feet are not always problematic. If flat feet are well-aligned, they enable a person to stand for long periods of time with proper weight is distribution.
FOOT RELATED MEDICAL PROBLEMS
Lower backache, headaches, indigestion, and a misaligned spine can often be traced to problems with your feet.
GAIT PATTERN
The gait pattern of the right foot does not usually match that of the left foot.
NORMAL GAIT
When one is walking normally, the whole foot is never flat on the ground.
STRUCTURAL ALIGNMENT
If feet are well-aligned, toes will point straight ahead when walking. The first point of contact is the heel, then the exterior or outer portion of the foot, followed by the ball (forefoot) of the foot, and finally the big toe (great toe).
STANDING VS. WALKING FATIGUE
Standing in one spot is far more tiring than movement. The reason for this is that demands are made on the same few muscles for a greater length of time.
SKIN THICKNESS
The skin on the feet is thicker than it is anywhere else on the body.
STRESS RELATED SUSCEPTIBILITY
When one is stressed, they are more susceptible to the virus that causes warts on the foot.
SHOE SELECTION TIPS
When one selects footwear, it is recommended to fit them late in the day, when one has been on their feet all day they may become slightly swollen (edematous). It’s best to purchase shoes that fit feet under these conditions, as it is less likely to purchase shoes that are too small. Ensuring feet are properly measured every time one purchase shoes and ensure one is weightbearing (standing). When trying on shoes, fit for both feet. Many humans are not perfectly symmetrical and often have one foot larger or smaller than the other. It’s best to fit the larger foot.
ACHILLES, NOMENCLATURE
Achilles, the great Greek warrior, gave his name to the strongest and longest tendon in the body.
WALKING, DISTANCE STATISTICS
The average human walks up to about 160,000 kilometers, or 115,000 miles in their lifetime, enough to walk around the earth four times. That works out to around 6.5 kilometers a day.
FOOTSTEP, FORCE DYNAMICS
While walking, each step can exert pressure on your feet that exceeds your body weight. When running or jogging the force on the foot can be three or four times ones body weight; this adds up to a cumulative force of over 500 tonnes a day. With certain sporting activities, this force can go up to seven times your bodyweight.
Foot Structure
There are twenty-six to eight bones in each to total fifty-six bones in both feet. There are 206 bones in the body, which means more than a quarter of all the bones in our bodies are in our feet. Thirty-three joints, 107 ligaments, and nineteen muscles and tendons hold the structure of each foot together and allow it to move in a variety of ways.
NERVE AND SENSORY INFORMATION
There are more nerve endings per square centimeter in the foot than any other part of the body.
Our feet constantly supply us with information about the surface we walk on, without our even being aware of it. They tell us whether the surface is hot or cold, rough or smooth, which side it slopes to, etc.
SWEAT GLAND PRODUCTION
There are approximately 250,000 sweat glands in the feet. The average person will lose about a cup of moisture a day through their feet.
BONE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
At birth, the bones in the foot are mostly cartilage which slowly harden as the foot grows. The bones in the foot are not completely ossified (hardened) until around twenty-one years of age.
ON FEET: DURATION AND DISTANCE
During a typical day ,numerous studies suggest that the average person spends about four hours on their feet and takes between 5,000 and 7,000 steps.
CHINESE FOOT BINDING TRADITION
The Chinese tradition of binding women’s feet lasted for 1,000 years, from early in the tenth century until it was outlawed in 1912.
FOOT PROBLEMS, PERVASIVENESS STATISTICS
Seventy-five percent of Canadians will experience foot health problems of varying degrees of severity at one time or another in their lives. About nineteen percent of the Canadian population has an average of one to four foot problems each year.
GENDER PROPENSITY FOR FOOT PROBLEMS
Women have about four times as many foot problems as men; life long patterns of wearing fashion footwear, in particular high heels, that place the foot into a forward stance are often the culprit.
FOOT HEALTH, EXERCISE
Walking is the best exercise for your feet and is also good for your overall health. It supports your general health as well by improving circulation, contributing to weight control, and promoting all-around wellbeing.
FOOT SYMPTOMS CAN PORTEND SERIOUS DISEASES
Your feet mirror general health. Such conditions as arthritis, diabetes, nerve, and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet. So, foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems.
PATHOLOGY, PROGRESSION OF FOOT PROBLEMS
Heredity plays only a minor role in the early development of foot issues, as only a small percentage of the population is born with foot problems. It’s more so the neglect and a lack of awareness of proper care, including ill-fitting shoes, that affect the health of our feet. A lifetime of wear and tear, in addition to neglect, accounts for the fact that most practitioners serve an older population.
CORNS AND CALLUSES, CAUSES AND TREATMENT CONCERNS
Corns and calluses are caused by friction and pressure from skin rubbing (frictional stress) against bony areas. Footwear that is too tight or loose may cause this stressor. If the first signs of soreness are ignored, corns and calluses rise up as nature’s way of protecting sensitive areas of the three major types of foot problems (infections, toenails, and corns and calluses), people are less likely to receive treatment for corns and calluses and more likely to continue to have corns and calluses as a problem without treatment.
PLANTAR WARTS: CAUSES
Plantar Warts are caused by a virus which may invade the sole of the foot through cuts and breaks in the skin. Walking barefoot in wet or moist public areas may cause this condition.
COMMON FOOT CONDITIONS AND STATISTICS
Each year, about five percent of the Canadian population have foot infections including warts, athlete’s foot, and other fungal infections. Another roughly five percent have corns and calluses. Six percent of the population experience foot injuries, bunions, flat feet, or fallen arches. Also, each year, approximately five percent have ingrown toenails or toenail problems.
MOST FREQUENTLY OCCURRING FOOT PROBLEMS
About sixty percent of all foot and ankle injuries reported by the Canadian population, age seventeen years and older, were sprains and strains of the ankle.