March is National Foot Health Month!Here’s some fun facts about the feet we walk
on every day:
The skin on your feet is 20 times thicker than on
any other part of your body
About 75% of North Americans will suffer a foot
problem in their lifetime.
The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps in a
day. Over a normal lifetime this adds up to more than 11,400 miles.
Fifty
percent or more of leg amputations not resulting from traumatic injury are a
result of diabetes.
There are 28 bones in the human foot, along with 33
joints, 107 ligaments, 19 major muscles, and tendons to hold the structure
together and allow it to move in a variety of ways.
Corns and callus are most commonly caused by
improper foot function. This results in friction and pressure. Your body's
natural defense is to build up a "wall" or "armor" of thick
skin. Alleviating the improper foot function can reduce or eliminate the
problem. Poorly fitting or worn out shoes can also cause corns and callus.
Falls
are the leading cause of fatal injuries among seniors.
Proper footwear and foot care play important roles
in fall prevention. Ask your therapist about what a good shoe is.
The pressure on your feet when running can be as much as four times your
body weight.
It's best to shop for shoes in the afternoon or late
in the day. Your feet actually swell during the day from walking and
activities, so a pair of shoes that felt comfortable in the morning might
actually be too snug by day's end.
Women suffer from foot
problems nearly four times as often as men.
Heel pain is often a symptom of plantar fasciitis
(fa-shee-eye-tis). It is an inflammation of the fibrous band which runs along
the bottom of your foot from your heel bone to your fore-foot called the
plantar fascia. Pain is usually worst during the first few steps in the
morning. Besides the heel, the pain from plantar fasciitis can also be located
in the mid and fore-foot where the plantar fascia attaches.