Typically I tell teachers that their profession is one of the most overworked, under-appreciated ones. The same applies to parts of the human body, particularly the feet. Think about it…in a single day, the average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps. That works out to be approximately four trips around the world over a lifetime! The foot may be humble, but its design is essential to how we walk upright, and hoofing it on two feet is a defining feature of humanity. Here are some facts about the human foot.

• Approximately a quarter of bones are in the feet

There are 26 bones in each foot, one less than in each hand. When we’re born, those bones are mostly cartilage. The bones in our feet only completely harden around age 21.

• How long are shoes being worn?

When did humans begin wearing shoes, anyway? Many, many years ago, according to research from Washington University in St. Louis that analysed foot bones from early humans. Older specimens had thicker, stronger toes, likely from gripping the ground as they walked barefoot. The oldest preserved shoe, incidentally, is 5500 years old, and was found in an Armenian cave.

• Tale of the big toe and thumb

This grasping toe helped our predecessors climb trees and, when young, grip onto their mothers.

• Sweaty, Smelly Feet 

Warm, sweaty feet make a perfect home for bacteria, which feed on our dead skin cells and produce gases and acids that emit those arresting foot odours.

• Do you have tickles…especially when having pedicures?

There’s a good reason for that – Humans have thousands of nerves in our feet, and a large number of nerve endings near the skin. Having ticklish feet can be a good sign – reduced sensitivity can be an indicator of neuropathy.

• Persons with diabetes can have big problems

Complications of diabetes include poor circulation and nerve damage, that can lead to serious skin ulcers, which sometimes require amputation of toes or feet.

• Foot sizes and widths on the rise

Feet are spreading to support extra weight, as our populations pack on the pounds. According to a 2014 study by the College of Podiatry in the UK, the average foot has increased two sizes since the 1970s. As people have grown taller and heavier, feet respond by growing. It appears many people are still in denial about their expanding feet. Though retailers are starting to respond by making larger and roomier shoes, half of women and a third of men reported they buy poorly fitting shoes. Podiatrists say ill-fitting shoes are to blame for a significant portion of foot problems, especially among women.

• Many women have big feet

What’s with idealising tiny feet for women, anyway? From the bound feet of female Chinese elites… to Cinderella and Barbie, freakishly small feet are often celebrated as more feminine. But plenty of glamorous women both past and present have had larger than average feet; among them Jacqueline Kennedy, Oprah Winfrey, Uma Thurman, and Audrey Hepburn (size 10, 11, 11, and 10.5, respectively).

• Women have four times as many foot problems as men

That painful fact is often attributed to wearing heels. It is a constant battle getting women to understand the damage high heels, ballet flats, flip flops and pointed shoes cause. Many men are guilty too regarding the pointed tip shoes.

 

• The average person walks about 100,000 miles in their lifetime

That’s a lot of stress on our feet. It’s not surprising, then, that lower back pain, knees, headaches, indigestion and spine misalignment are often related to foot problems. Some runners blow way past this mark. They’ve logged at least 100,000 in running miles alone.

• There’s a reason grandparents’ toenails look that way

Ever heard someone describing their toenails as “horse hooves”? As we get older, our toenails tend to thicken, making them hard to trim. This happens because toenails grow more slowly as we age, causing the nail cells to accumulate. Stubbing toes; bad shoes; dropping things on your feet can also cause thickening. As well, so can fungal infections, along with peripheral arterial disease, which narrows arteries and reduces the blood flow to limbs.

Your feet mirror your general health . . . cherish them!