FOOT FACTS

Did you know..?

• For every mile walked, your feet shift roughly 100 tonnes (the weight of a blue whale) just to move your body weight forward
• 25-30% of adults suffer some form of foot problem
• Each foot contains 126 muscles and ligaments, 33 joints and 26 bones (14 of which are in the toe area alone)
• 90% of people wear ill-fitting shoes, causing 65% of all foot problems (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• 98% of children are born with good structural feet, whereas 60% of adults (above 18) have dysfunctional feet, although this is not always painful
• 25-30% of all adults suffer some form of foot pain, most commonly in the heel
• Only 28% of children have average-fitting feet
• A child's foot contains 45 separate bone centres which slowly grow and fuse together until fully ossified around age 18
• There are at least six sets of muscles that control each toe
• Each year over 2 million people suffer from ankle sprains, strains and fractures
• The Achilles tendon is the largest and the strongest tendon in the whole body
• Orthotics increase comfort, enhance performance, improve balance, protect from injury and aid recovery
• Sport causes 6.7 million foot & ankle injuries in the UK each year; orthotics provide protection
• Most sports professionals wear Orthotics for performance and protection
• All running shoes will have a life expectancy of approximately 500 miles (800 km) and therefore should be replaced after prolonged use
• Plantar fasciitis accounts for over 15% of all foot related problems
• Each foot has 3 arches; longitudinal-medial (heel-to-toe inside), longitudinal-lateral (heel-to-toe outside) and the transverse arch (inside to outside)
• Most shoes are designed ‘flat’ inside and offer no support to the plantar (underside) surface of the foot
• The only materials that allow the foot to fully breath in the shoe are; full leather lining, ‘Gortex'TM and ‘Sympatex'TM
• Forget about dieting or joining a gym - just walk 10,000 steps a day instead (Health professionals, including the British Heart Foundation, recommend walking 10,000 steps per day – or roughly 5 miles – to become fit and healthy and help lose weight. Most people already walk around 5,000 steps so, with comfortable feet, it should be easy to do the rest…)