Foot Facts

The human foot combines mechanical complexity and structural strength. The ankle serves as foundation, shock absorber, and propulsion engine. The foot can sustain enormous pressure (several tons over the course of a one-mile run) and provides flexibility and resiliency.

The foot and ankle contain:

• 26 bones (One-quarter of the bones in the human body are in the feet.);
• 33 joints;
• more than 100 muscles, tendons (fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones), and ligaments (fibrous tissues that connect bones to other bones); and a network of blood vessels, nerves, skin, and soft tissue.

These components work together to provide the body with support, balance, and mobility. A structural flaw or malfunction in any one part can result in the development of problems elsewhere in the body. Abnormalities in other parts of the body can lead to problems in the feet.

The US Public Health Service estimates that 87% of the population has a foot related problem.  Yet, according to a survey of 1,013 people in April 2000 by the American Podiatric Medical Association,

61% of respondents had never seen a doctor for a foot problem and
41% believe “it is normal for feet to hurt some times”. 

Foot pain is not normal, and neither are the foot related problems that include the knee, hip, back, and neck pain that comes from incorrect body alignment. The following facts will suggest:

* Many of us spend most of our day walking or standing on hard, unyielding surfaces.

* Feet change with age, spreading and losing the fatty padding that cushions and protects the bottom of the feet.

* In preparation for pregnancy, a woman’s ligaments and tendons will stretch in preparation for the baby’s delivery. Since your feet are part of your body the plantar fasciae (the long ligaments attached to the heel bone in the rear foot and the five metatarsal bones in the forefoot) of a woman’s foot become elongated, which changes the way your foot works while walking.

* When walking, pressure on the feet can exceed body weight; when running, the pressure can be three to four times a person’s weight.

*77% of postural pain patients, who had found no relief from any of multiple forms of treatment and were considered to be at or near medical endpoint, demonstrated 50% to 100% improvement over a two-year period when gait style (the way a person walks) was addressed.

*The average person takes about 5,000 to 8,000 steps in one day.

* If a shoe has a heel higher than two inches, the mechanics of the foot while walking are disrupted since your heel lifts off the ground about only two inches during the gait cycle.

* Shoes are often designed for looks rather than function and our feet pay the price.
In many cases these problems can be helped by providing your foot with support and helping it to stay in its normal position throughout the day.