The Facts, Just the Facts

Make yourself the hit at the next Cranium party with all your foot facts.

• 3 out of 4 Americans experience serious foot problems in their lifetime.
• The foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.
• 25% of all the bones in the human body in your feet. When these bones are out of alignment, so is the rest of the body.
• Only a small percentage of the population is born with foot problems.
• It's neglect and a lack of awareness of proper care - especially improperly fitted shoes - that bring on problems.
• Women have about four times as many foot problems as men. High heels are partly to blame.
• Walking is the best exercise for your feet. It also contributes to your general health by improving circulation, contributing to weight control, and promoting all-around well being.
• Your feet mirror your general health. Conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet - so foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems.
• Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in America. It limits everyday dressing, climbing stairs, getting in and out of bed or walking - for about 7 million Americans.
• About 60-70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which in severe forms can lead to lower limb amputations. Approximately 56,000 people a year lose their foot or leg to diabetes.
• There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. Sweat glands in the feet excrete as much as a half-pint of moisture a day.
• Walking barefoot can cause plantar warts. The virus enters through a cut.
• In the majority of cases, your two feet are different sizes. Fit the larger one.
• About 5% of Americans have toenail problems in a given year.
• The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which adds up to about 115,000 miles over a lifetime. That's enough to go around the circumference of the earth four times.
• When walking, you place about 2-3 times your body weight in pressure on your feet.
• When running you place about 7 times your body weight in pressure on your feet. (Poor feet.) 
• There are currently more websites on the Internet having to do with foot fetishes than with foot health.