Comfortable shoes are part of the good care your feet deserve.

(TAKEN FROM SAS.COM)

Comfortable shoes are part of the
good care your feet deserve.

In an average lifetime, a person’s feet will carry them between 150,000 and 200,000 miles. That’s six to eight times around the earth. And for the entire distance, our feet will be our levers, balancers and shock absorbers. It makes good sense to keep them comfortable and healthy.

YOUR FOOT.

There are twenty-six bones in each foot. They are moved by muscles and tendons and held together by ligaments. The foot is divided into three sections. The larger bones are in the rearfoot. The midfoot is made up of five irregular bones called tarsals. The forefoot contains the metatarsal bones and phalanges.

HOW IT'S BUILT.
Each foot has thirty-three complex joints and four arches. The major arch is the long, high one along the inner border of the foot (1). The minor arches are the long, slight arch along the outer border of the foot (2); the metatarsal arch across the ball of the foot (3) and the arch under the foot just behind the instep (4).
HOW IT CHANGES.
From the time we are born, our feet are constantly changing. They continue to increase in size throughout life. For this reason, we should be measured for shoes periodically. Also, as we get older our toenails become harder and thicker and require extra attention and added toe room.

HOW IT MOVES.
When we stand still 50% of our weight is on the heel, 25% at the base of the big toe joint and 25% spreads across the ball of the foot. When we walk, all of our weight comes down on the heel (1), continues to the outer border (2), crosses the ball of the foot (3) to the big toe joint (4) and moves forward to spring off the toes.
HEALTHY FEET.
Wearing comfortable good fitting shoes is the most important thing you can do to take
care of your feet. Three more basic ingredients in the health of a normal
foot are cleanliness, trimmed nails and exercise.
YOUR SHOE.
Nature intended us to be barefoot. However, since we paved most of our walking
surfaces and cluttered up our environment, we need shoes to protect our feet. The next best thing to barefoot is a good comfort shoe. Be sure new shoes are comfortable before you buy them. The ball of your foot should rest on the widest part of the shoe. The heel should fit snug and not slip. Your toes shouldn’t push against the top of the shoe. The space between your longest toe and the inside of your shoe can be up to one-half inch. Try on both shoes. Stand up and walk around. If your feet vary slightly in size, always choose the most comfortable size for the larger foot.

The size and shape of our feet change over the years. Have your feet measured at least once a year to assure a comfortable fit.