The world is at your feet… literally. Look after them.
“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.” Leonardo Da Vinci
The feet are probably the most undervalued parts of the body; taken for granted until something goes wrong. Imagine the wear and tear on our feet… It is the single part of the body that takes on the stresses and strains and has the responsibility of supporting our entire bodies. At Wide Fit Shoes, we know how important it is to look after your feet to avoid problems that could be debilitating in the long term. We thought we’d share some facts to demonstrate just how important your feet are…
- 1/4 of all the bones in the human body are down in your feet. When these bones are out of alignment, so is the rest of the body.
- As the foot takes on our body weight and is the lowest point on our bodies, its alignment or misalignment can have far reaching effects on the joints, ligaments and muscles. Podiatrists have determined that ill-fitting shoes, flat feet, imbalanced gait and non- uniform foot placement can lead not only foot pain, but knee problems, backaches, neck aches and even migraines and headaches. People who have foot problems such as these, that are more mechanical in nature, must be seen by a podiatrist to remedy the situation with orthotic inserts, exercises and better shoes to avoid years of pain and discomfort in other areas of the body.
- According to reflexology, our feet are the central point for all our nerve endings that support the various functions in our bodies. Digestion, sleep problems, back pain, thyroid, rhinitis and a host of other ailments can be reduced by massaging specific pressure points on the feet.
- When walking, each time your heel lifts off the ground it forces the toes to carry one half of your body weight.
- During an average day of walking, the total forces on your feet can total hundreds of tons, equivalent to an average of a fully loaded cement truck.
- Walking is the best exercise for your feet. It contributes to your general health by improving circulation and weight control.
- The average person will walk around 115,000 miles in a life time, that’s more than four times around the earth! The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which adds up to about 115,000 miles over a lifetime.
- Women have about four times as many foot problems as men. High heels are partly to blame. Hence the need for the right kind of shoes… always.
- Walking barefoot can cause plantar warts. The virus can enter through a cut in the heel or toe especially if they are dry and cracked.
- Fun fact: The big toe used to be a sort of thumb. This grasping toe helped our predecessors climb trees and, when young, grip onto their mothers. Thanks to modern science, if you lose your thumb, you can now replace it with a toe: toe-to-thumb transplants are a common procedure these days.
So, the bottom line is this…. Take care of your feet. They are more important than you think they are. Don’t ignore any warning signs your feet might give you; they are sometimes the first responders when there are problems elsewhere.
