Your feet are an essential part of your body. After all, they’re the foundation of almost everything you do!
Whether you’re a runner, you stand a lot at your job, or you’ve been suffering from foot pain, it never hurts to learn more about what makes your feet so fascinating and how to keep them healthy and pain-free. Keep reading for more foot health facts and tips!
Fascinating Foot Health Facts
It’s not common to think about your feet until they start hurting. But taking good care of them, knowing a little bit about how they work, and knowing when to see a podiatrist can all help keep you happy, healthy, and mobile!
Foot Basics
Let’s start with some anatomy facts! You might be surprised at how complex your feet actually are.
For starters, did you know that each of your feet has 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments? They all work together to make the feet’s dynamic movement and balance possible! In addition to all those muscles, each foot contains 26 bones and 33 joints.
When all of their parts are working smoothly together, your feet do amazing things for us. When there’s a problem, however, it can be debilitating. Because there are so many parts and so many places where things could go wrong, a podiatrist is really the only person who can pinpoint the exact issue and find a solution.
Taking Care of Your Feet
Luckily, if you’re not experiencing any foot-related issues, taking care of your feet is pretty simple!
One of the most important things you can do is to thoroughly wash and dry your feet every day. Your feet contain about 250,000 sweat glands each and create about one cup of moisture daily.
That can add up to a lot of funk down there! Keeping your feet clean and dry will help reduce the amount of bacteria on your feet–and reduce unwanted smells!
Ingrown toenails are a common issue, and oftentimes if you get one once, it’ll come back again. Make sure you trim your toenails regularly and that you trim straight across the nail instead of trimming the corners shorter than the middle.
Footwear Facts
Shoes aren’t just for style! They provide crucial support for your feet throughout the day and can cause serious problems if you aren’t careful.
When was the last time you actually measured your feet? People’s shoe sizes can change as they get older or as they gain or lose weight. Make sure you know your current shoe size to make shoe shopping that much easier!
A good rule of thumb when trying on shoes is to make sure there’s about an inch between your longest toe (usually your big toe or the one next to it) and the end of the shoe. Keep high heels on the shorter side, and try your best to get shoes that mimic the shape of your feet.
To provide any pair of your shoes with additional and personalized support, you can also try out custom orthotics fitted by a podiatrist.
Tired of Dealing with Foot Pain?
Foot health facts may be fun, but dealing with pain or discomfort in your feet sure isn’t. Few things affect your quality of life more than being unable to do the things you love! If you’ve been dealing with a foot-related issue, it’s time to see your podiatrist and find a solution.
Get in touch with Foot Specialists of Birmingham today to schedule an appointment and get back to living your life to the fullest!
