What Your Feet and Your Podiatrist Want You to Know

Did you ever wonder why your feet hurt so bad? You might not think about it, but your feet take a good deal of punishment every day. They bear your weight, absorb shock when you walk, and help pump blood back up to your heart. Considering the critical jobs your feet perform, there are some facts about your feet that you should know.

You put a lot of miles on your feet.

Most people walk the equivalent of 115,000 miles during their lifetime, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association. That's an average of 10,000 steps in a single day. Walking is good exercise for your feet and overall health, but it puts pressure on your feet. Sometimes the amount of pressure on your feet is more than your body weight.

Wearing shoes with high heels put stress on the ball of the foot which can place too much pressure on the bones or the surrounding nerves. This may lead to hairline fractures or nerve damage. However, shoes with lower heels put your foot in a more natural position. Proper shoes also have good arch support to prevent knee, hip, and back problems.

Your foot is a complex anatomical structure.

Each one of your feet contains 26 bones. In fact, about 25 percent of all the bones in your body are in your feet. Each foot also has 33 joints, 19 muscles, and more than 100 ligaments. That's quite a number of joints, bones, ligaments, and tendons to protect from injury and disease.

Parts of the foot that take on a heavier load or are exposed to increased pressure can become painful. Diseases like arthritis cause both pain and joint stiffness, which can make it difficult to walk. Other diseases and conditions can cause foot pain and problems as well.

Women have more feet problems than men.

Because of differences in foot structure and muscle strength, women suffer more foot pain and injuries than their male counterparts, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Studies show that women have shorter arch length, a wider forefoot, thinner cartilage, and shorter metatarsal bones than men. Many women also wear high-heeled shoes with narrow toe boxes that are too small for their feet. All of these factors increase the risk of falling, developing osteoarthritis, or problems such as hammer toe, bunions, or neuromas (painful, benign nerve tumors).

Your feet change as you grow older.

Feet often become flatter as you get older. The increasing number of miles you put on your feet with age stretches the tendons and ligaments in your feet making them wider and longer. This can increase your shoe size by a half-size or more over the years. You also wear away the natural padding under the ball of the foot.

Your feet often signal changes in your health.

Chronic health conditions, including diabetes, arthritis, and circulation problems, can affect your feet. The first symptoms of illness often appear in one or both feet. Redness, sores, or wounds on your feet that don't heal, blackening of skin, infection, and foot numbness or pain can be signs of diabetes. Swollen toes, toe pain, aching feet, and red skin around toe joints can be signs of arthritis.

Your doctor can also screen for peripheral artery disease by checking for pulses in your feet. Peripheral artery disease leads to poor blood circulation in your legs. As the buildup of cholesterol and plaque narrows the arteries in your legs, less blood gets to the muscles in your legs and feet. Consequently, a fainter pulse in your feet can be a symptom of peripheral artery disease. For more information, talk to a professional like Northside Foot & Ankle.


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