7 tips to find your feet

Made of 26 bones, 33 joints, and about 100 muscles and tendons, our feet are one of the most complex parts of the human body. They have to be agile enough to adapt to any track, but rigid enough to ensure our stability. It’s needless to say that ultimate players are sorely testing them…

Here are some interesting facts about feet.

Each foot is different:

In addition to the length that defines our shoe size, feet can vary by width, shape of the arch, and shape overall. Each person tends to have a difference between their left and right foot. A study conducted on a large number of people has shown that:

• 36% of people had feet length varying by 3.5mm (0.13 in) or more, which represents half a European shoe size.
• 60% of people had feet perimeter varying by 2.5mm (0.07 in) or more, representing half a European shoe width size.

Depending on one’s morphology, a person can also be a pronator or supinator.

In addition to length, which defines shoe size, feet can vary in width, arch height, and shape. Each person typically has differences between their left and right foot. By observing the soles of your old running shoes, you can determine whether you tend to pronate or supinate based on wear patterns on the inside or outside of the foot.

Our feet are the foundation of our mobility, and any issues can lead to movement inefficiency or even pain up through the spine. This is why it is recommended to see a podiatrist regularly.

Biomechanics:

The shock-absorbing properties of the feet come from the arch shape of the bones. When you take a step, this arch bends your tendons.

To feel this, try the following:

Sit on a chair (so you don’t put weight on your feet), place your foot on a white sheet of paper, and draw its circumference.

Then, without moving your foot, stand up, put weight on it, and draw the circumference again.

You will observe that the second sketch is larger than the first one.

The ankle joint is also incredibly complex, allowing us to maintain balance even on irregular surfaces.

Sweat:

The foot contains more than 250,000 sweat glands, which might provide some relief to those with concerns about foot odor!

This sweat is necessary to regulate body temperature, but it can also lead to bacterial or other skin issues due to its acidity.

Athlete's foot is a common problem caused by sweat. It usually leads to cracks appearing between the toes due to excess moisture. Keeping your feet as dry as possible, especially after a shower, is essential in such cases.

Nails:

For ultimate frisbee players, nails can be prone to issues such as:

• Black nails: Often caused by shoes that are too tight at the forefoot, leading the nail to hit the shoe.
• Injuries around the nail and ingrown toenails: To avoid this, cut your toenails straight across, not curved, as shown in the picture.

Fungal infections: Effective antifungals are available at drugstores if you have a fungal infection.

In the end, our feet are sensitive beings…

When you consider that our feet contain over 8,000 nerve endings, it’s easy to understand why they are so sensitive to tickling (and possibly why some people have a fascination with feet, but that’s another story…).

In traditional Chinese medicine, the feet are also used to treat a wide range of ailments.