Foot Construction
Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints and a network of more than 100 tendons, muscles
and ligaments. 1
The feet contain a quarter of all the bones in the body.1
The heel bone is the largest of 26 bones in the foot. 2
Feet have 250,000 sweat glands. When active, feet can produce four to six ounces
of perspiration a day, sometimes more.1
Walking
About 67 million men and women are walking regularly for exercise. 3
A person weighs more walking than standing. Walking is dead weight plus push
energy, which adds about 30 percent to standing weight. 4
An average day of walking brings a force equal to several hundred tons to bear
on the feet.1 The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. 5
The average person walks about 115,000 miles in a lifetime—more than four times
the circumference of the globe.5
Health Issues
Studies show that 75% of Americans experience foot problems in varying degrees
of seriousness at some time in their lives.1
At least two-thirds of foot troubles, affecting 175 million Americans, can be
attributed to shoes. 6
Women have about 90 percent of the 795,000 annual surgeries for bunions, hammertoes,
neuromas, and bunionettes—the four most common problems linked to poorly designed
and poorly fitting shoes. 7
In clinical studies, symptoms from heel spur syndrome have been alleviated by
the use of Birkenstock sandals. 8
Miscellaneous
Most orthopedic surgeons recommend that athletes wear semi-flexible orthotic
inserts. They say these will cushion their feet better than rigid orthotics.6
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1 American Podiatric Medical
Association, "Your Podiatrist Talks About Foot Health." November 1993.
2 American Podiatric Medical Association, "Your
Podiatrist Talks About Heel Pain," October 1993.
3 American Podiatric Medical Association, "Your
Podiatrist Talks About Walking," May 1993. 4 Rogers Corporation
newsletter, "Poron Insider," December 1994, vol.5, no. 3.
5 American Podiatric Medical Association web site
at www.APMA.org.
6 Rogers Corporation newsletter, "Poron Insider,"
January 1998, vol.29, no. 1.
7 American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, "Foot Care," winter 1997,
vol. VIII, no. 4.
8 Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association,
"Biomechanical Heel Pain: A Case Study: Treatment by Use of
Birkenstock Sandals," December 1979, vol. 69, no. 12.
FACTS ABOUT FEET
FOOT HEALTH
