Anatomy of the Feet

Foot Facts

• 3 out of 4 people experience serious foot problems in their lifetime.
• The foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.
• 1/4 of all the bones in the human body are down in your feet. When these bones are out of alignment, so is the rest of your body.
• Only a small percentage of the population is born with foot problems.
• It is neglect and a lack of awareness of proper care, including ill-fitting shoes, that bring on many problems.
• Women have about four times as many foot problems as men. High heels are partly to blame.
• Walking is the best exercise for your feet. It also contributes to your general health by imporving circulation, contributing to weight control, and promoting all round well being.
• Your feet mirror your general health. Conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, nerver and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet, so foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems.
• There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. Sweat glands in the feet excrete as much as half a pint of moisture in a day.
• The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which adds up to 115,000 miles over a lifetime. That's enough to go around the circumference of the earth four times.