We tend to take our feet for granted. Every day we get up out of bed, put on shoes and go on about our day—standing, walking, running, maybe even hiking, dancing and playing a sport. At Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center we thought it might be fun to take a look at some facts about your feet:

• Each of your feet contains 26 bones (that is nearly a quarter of all the bones in your body!), 33 joints and over 107 ligaments and 19 muscles and tendons.
• Your feet have more nerves per square centimeter than any other part of your body—over 8,000 in total.
• The average person walks about 115,000 miles over the course of their life—that’s equal to circling the earth four times.
• Women typically walk 3 miles more a day than men.
• Your feet have approximately 250,000 sweat glands which produce up to ½ pint of perspiration each day.
• Most people have one foot that is larger than the other.
• About 75% of Americans will experience foot problems at some point in their lives and women have foot pain four times more often than men.
• 9 out of 10 people are wearing shoes that are too small for their feet.
• Over 50% of American women have bunions—a toe deformity where the big toe drifts over to the second toe, forcing the joint out of place and creating a bump on the outside of the big toe.
• Foot size on average has increased two sizes since the 1970’s. The reason behind this is thought to be that feet are getting larger in order to support extra pounds as the average weight of people also continues to climb.
• It takes 5-6 months to grow a completely new toenail. Toenails grow faster in warm weather, during teenage years and pregnancy.

Now that you know just how incredible your feet are, our podiatrists, Dr. Victoria Foley and Dr. Constance Omelas, want to encourage you to be proactive in the care of them. If you experience any pain or discomfort, don’t delay. Contact our Long Beach office promptly for evaluation and treatment by calling: (562) 420-9800.