Foot Facts
A common misconception is that sore feet are normal; they are not!
Most of us are likely to walk an average 115,000km, the equivalent of 3 times around the world in our lifetime.
When playing sports, your body can experience shock through your legs that is up to 6 times your body weight.
The foot is an amazing network of 26 bones, 33 joints, 56 ligaments, 31 tendons, 19 muscles and meters of nerves and blood vessels. A quarter of all the bones in your body are in your feet.
Do You Have:
- Aching feet, sore legs or back problems?
- Foot and Ankle orthopedic problems like a low or high arch, pronation or supination ankle, bunion or bunionette, hammertoe, corn or callus, sore heel, one leg shorter than the other, swelling or varicose veins?
- Spine disorders orthopedic problems like kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis, osteoporosis, causes of pain in the lower back or leg, other orthopedic problems?
Foot pain makes it harder to walk and carry out your daily functions. You may also have trouble with your balance and your chance of falling increases. Being able to walk easily is extremely important since walking is one of the best ways to exercise and keep fit.
Who Need Orthopedica Clinic?
- People who suffer from foot, legs, lower back problems, hip, and knees problems.
- All sorts of Sportspeople in particular need adequate foot support to maintain good foot function and body posture, which are essential for sports performance.
- People who are on their feet all day, stand for long hours at their jobs and are in particular need of proper orthopedic foot support to maintain good foot function and body posture so that they can do jobs without aches and pains.
Foot Problems
Standing changes your feet, much of the natural cushion of padding under your heel and the ball of your foot is lost. The arches get flatter and less flexible, your ankles and foot joints become stiffer, and your whole foot gets wider and longer.
Because of these changes, you may develop foot pain and other problems even if you never had difficulties with your feet before. Certain medical conditions put you at greater risk of foot problems. For example, diabetes can cause reduced blood circulation and nerve damage in the feet.
Common Types of Foot Problems
Bunions: A bony growth or misaligned bone at the base of the big toe or sometimes on the small toe. Eventually, the big toe may bend abnormally toward the small toes.
Hammertoes: Toe joints (usually the first small toe but all the middle toes may be affected) that curl up or under, either rigidly or with some flexibility, often resulting in a permanently dislocated joint.
Foot Problems Related to Diabetes: Such as stubborn foot ulcers that are difficult to heal, loss of feeling or circulation problems.
Heel Pain: This pain is present at the back of the arch from heel spurs (bony outgrowth) or plantar fasciitis (an inflamed ligament along the bottom of the foot).
Foot Problems Associated with Deformities: These may be caused by arthritis (including rheumatoid arthritis and gout).
Other foot problems that are less common include:
- Arch Pain: From fallen arches (flat feet), or abnormally high arches
- Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome: A type of pinched nerve disorder
- Achilles Tendonitis: Inflammation of the tendon that connects your heel bone to your calf muscle
- Morton’s Neuroma: Benign nerve growth between the third and fourth toes
Structure of the Foot
Each of your feet contains 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 120 muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves. These all work together to support the weight of your body, act as shock absorbers, keep you balanced, and push you forward with each stride. On average, people spend about four hours standing on their feet every day and take around 10,000 individual steps. Because feet are small compared to your whole body, they receive an enormous impact with each footfall, adding up to hundreds of tons of weight every day.
One of the main causes of foot problems is poor-fitting shoes. Three out of four people wear shoes that are too small, narrow or high heeled shoes, shoes with slippery soles, or ones that offer no protection or support may cause serious injury and pain, and increase your chance of a fall.
Most foot problems can be treated effectively. You do not have to suffer needlessly.