It’s natural at this time of year for our thoughts to turn to the many reasons we have to be thankful. At Paul Klein, DPM FACFAS, we want to be sure that our patients take this opportunity to recognize the incredibly complex structures that their feet are and all that they enable us to do. Often taken for granted, our feet are actually pretty incredible. Consider the following:
- Nearly 25% of all the bones in your body—52 of them to be exact—are found in your feet.
- Each of your feet has 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles. These all work together to allow your foot to move in a wide variety of ways (up, down, side to side, jumping, running, walking, dancing and much more).
- A pair of feet has about 250,000 sweat glands which can excrete up to half a pint of perspiration in a day.
- There are more nerve endings per square centimeter in your feet than in any other part of the body.
- The average number of steps taken by a healthy person each day is between 8,000 and 10,000. In a lifetime that adds up to approximately 115,000 miles, which is the equivalent of walking around the earth 4 times!
- Feet are often the first place that major illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, nerve and circulatory issues show symptoms. That’s why it’s so important to inspect your feet regularly and look for any changes that might signal a problem.
- When running, the pressure on your feet is equal to 4 times the weight of your body.
Here’s another fact: 75% of all Americans will experience a foot problem at some point. You can show your gratitude to your feet by taking good care of them. One way to do that is by not ignoring foot or ankle pain. Delaying seeking treatment for foot discomfort can lead to serious podiatric problems. Be sure to contact our Wayne, NJ office (973-595-1555) and let our foot doctor, Dr. Paul G. Klein, examine your feet so foot disorders can be promptly diagnosed and treated before they become debilitating.
