Foot Care 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 the body.

– Only a small percentage of the population is born with foot problems.

– It’s neglect and a lack of awareness of proper care – including ill fitting shoes that bring on 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 improving circulation, contributing to weight control, and promoting all-around well being.

– Your feet mirror your general health. Conditions such 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.

– Arthritis is the number one cause of disability. It limits everyday dressing, climbing stairs, getting in and out of bed or walking.

– About 60-70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which in severe forms can lead to lower limb amputations. Approximately 56,000 people a year lose their foot or leg to diabetes.

– There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. Sweat glands in the feet excrete as much as a half-pint of moisture a day.

– Walking barefoot can cause plantar warts. The virus enters through a cut.

– The two feet may be different sizes. Buy shoes for the larger one.

– The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which adds up to about 115,000 miles over a lifetime. That’s enough to go around the circumference of the earth four times.

– There are currently more websites on the Internet having to do with foot fetishes than with foot health.