Physical Fitness Well-Being and Care Feet Part 1

About physical fitness, medical information, trivia, anatomy, well-being and care of your feet.

TAKING A PHYSICAL--HEAD TO TOE

FEET

You have 26 primary bones in each foot. Some people, however, have 28. The two extras, called supernumerary sesamoids, are found on the bottom of the foot just behind the big toe.

Fourteen of the 26 bones in each foot are toe bones. Your big toe has only 2 bones, while the rest of your toes each have 3.

In most people, the big toe is the longest. But in some, the second toe is longest.

The soles of your feet contain more sweat glands and more pressure-sensitive nerve endings per square inch than any other part of your body.

Flat feet can be perfectly normal and healthy. The fact is that people with well-aligned flat feet can endure longer periods on their feet than those with higher arches because the weight on flat feet is distributed over a larger area.

Your feet are the basic foundations for the rest of your body. For that reason, your general health and your sense of well-being are greatly dependent on the condition of your feet.

It is said that lower-backache, headaches, indigestion, and misaligned spine can often be traced to your feet. By improving the alignment of your feet, or by strengthening muscles in your feet, or by lengthening tendons, through exercise, you can often greatly improve both your feet and your general health. An M.D., or a non-M.D. specialist in feet (a podiatrist) can examine you and tell you what needs to be done to improve your feet.

To evaluate the alignment of your feet, do this. With shoes and socks off and your knees bared, stand in front of a full-length mirror.

Stand as you normally would. Now imagine a line drawn from the middle of your kneecap to the floor. If you wish, draw a chalk line on the mirror perpendicular to the floor to help you with this.

If your feet are properly aligned, the center of your kneecap will be on the same line as the center of your foot.

Foot alignment can be improved or completely corrected by exercise or the use of arch supports.

The gait pattern of your right foot does not usually match that of your left.

In a normal walking gait, the whole foot is never flat on the ground.

If you have well-aligned feet, your toes will point straight ahead while you are walking. The first point of contact is your heel. The weight is then carried along the outside border to the ball of your foot, then across the ball to your big toe.

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