Foot Facts

  • The foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.
  • Cigarette smoking is the biggest cause of Peripheral Vascular Disease (disease of the arteries of the feet and legs), which can lead to pain on walking, ulceration and infection.
  • 25 % of the Bones in the Body are in your Feet.
  • 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.
  • A Philosopher’s Thoughts: The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates once claimed “When our feet hurt, we hurt all over”.
  • Only a small percentage of the population is born with foot problems. It is neglect, lack of awareness, and proper care – including ill fitting shoes – that can bring on problems. (Source: Dr Scholl Australia)
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, 128,000 km over a life time. That’s enough to go around the circumference of the earth three times! (Source: Australian Podiatry Association Vic.)
  • During the first year of a child’s life their feet grow rapidly, reaching almost half their adult size. By 12, a child’s foot is about 90 per cent of its adult length.
  • The average child will take its first steps around 13-17 months – but between 10 and 18 months falls within the “normal” range.
  • 3 out of 4 North Americans experience serious foot problems in their lifetime.
  • Walking barefoot can cause plantar warts. The virus enters through a cut.
  • Cold Feet: It is estimated by scientists and historians that the first shoes were created during the ice age 5000,000 years ago and were made from animal skins.
  • Your two feet may be different sizes. Buy shoes for the larger one.
  • The big toe is called the hallux.
  • Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in North America. It limits everyday dressing, climbing stairs, getting in and out of bed or walking.
  • It is rare that two feet are exactly the same; one of them is often larger than the other. A survey conducted by the Pedorthic Footwear Association in 1982 of 6000 Adult males and females in 23 cities, showed that they all had mis-mated feet! (Source: Pedorthic Footwear Association)
  • 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.
  • Women have about four times as many foot problems as men. High heels are partly to blame.
  • When walking, each time your heel lifts off the ground it forces the toes to carry one half of your body weight.
  • 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.
  • There are times when you’re walking that the pressure on your feet exceeds your body weight, and when you’re running, it can be two or three times your weight.
  • Beauty is Pain: Women suffer from four times as many problems than men. This is believed to be a result of their choice of footwear, which usually consists of shoes with narrow toes and high heels.
  • Bigfoot: The largest feet in the world belong to a Mr. Matthew McGrory who lives in America whose feet are a whopping size 28 (US size). The 7ft 4in resident of Florida, USA has to fork out a massive $22,745 for a pair of shoes to fit his unusually large feet.
  • Corns and calluses are caused by friction and pressure from skin rubbing against bony areas when wearing shoes. If the first signs of soreness are ignored, corns and calluses rise up as nature’s way of protecting sensitive areas.