Five Things You Didn't Know About Feet

Feet, they are two of the most important parts of our body, the most misunderstood and just taken for granted, so I've decided to write this article about those two extensions of our legs which keep the rest of our bodies moving.........little tidbits I've picked up here and there...

One: The load they carry.

Each foot has 26 bones, 32 joints and a network of more then 100 tendons, ligaments and muscles....every step places 1.5 times your body weight of pressure on each foot, yet another reason to maintains a healthy body weight..but who thinks about feet when they think about their weight?

Two: The Agony of de feet

The American Podiatric Medical Associations Foot Ailments Survey showed that about 45% of Americans suffer from foot pain of one kind or another and 54 % of those sufferers said the pain prevents them from doing many of their routine activities.

Three: Something Stinks

Americans adults suffer most from heel pain, toenail problems and sweaty itchy feet and/or odor...Toe Fungus is one of the main ailments..(Who hasn't seen that nasty commercial with those nasty little yellow creatures partying away under a big toenail?)....That very same fungus, which causes athlete's foot, can grow under your toenails, most commonly happening if your shoes have bad ventilation ...with no sure way to prevent this growth of those nasty fungi, you can hope to prevent it by keeping your little tootsies dry and use one of those anti-fungal products on the market...if your nail becomes yellow, you might want to see a Doctor since there are prescription drugs that can get rid of and prevent further problems...one concern with this medication is a complication that can affect your liver so you do have to be monitored if liver disease is in your family history.

Four: Ouch..what are you wearing?

Would you believe more than 25% of Americans admit to wearing shoes that hurt their feet either daily or weekly...However the incidence of wearing shoes that cause pain decreases as we age....I guess that's because we get smarter ...I know I have one pair of white shoes that were never comfortable, but I wear them with a certain outfit i have as long as I know there will not be much walking during that occasion...my feet still end up hurting at the end of the day or night.

Five: Miles and miles to go

The average adult walks 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, many even more, that come add up to thousands of miles in a lifetime, so why torture yourself and wear painful shoes? Especailly now with manufacturers putting arch supports in some of their shoes and thicker soles and heels to cushion your feet from the hard pavements we all walk on...I stare in wonder at the opposite spectrum, shoes with heels that are 5 inches tall...whew, how can they balance themselves on those I wonder when I see someone wearing those new designs...I've even read where the manufacturers are putting a little cushion in the balls of the feet on those sexy high heels shoes too..

So, to sum up, we are given just 10 litte toes and two feet so why not take care of them? After all, we wouldn't get very far without them..