It is possible that you haven’t given too much thought about your feet and feet in general, but there are some interesting and fun facts about feet which you may be interested in. Here are some feet -related facts which you may not know, but are worth knowing:

fun-feet-facts

  1. 25% of the people in the US have flat feet.
  2. On average an adult walks 4,000-6,000 steps a day.
  3. An entire new toenail grows for 5-6 months.
  4. Heels were first added in the Middle East, with the purpose to protect the heel from the burning sands.
  5. Your feet have about 250,000 sweat glands, which explains the common problem with bad foot odor and sweaty feet.
  6. The shoe museum in Toronto is the only such museum on the continent, and it displays shoes from 4,500 years ago till today.
  7. Sneakers were first made in 1916 and were called “keds”.
  8. It was in the 18th century when distinct shoes for women and men started being made in Europe.
  9. In the 16th and 17th centuries, all heels of European shoes were red.
  10. An average person walks around 100,000 miles during their lifetime.
  11. Modern feet are growing in width and size due to the common problem with weight gain of the last several generations. Since the 1970’s out foot size has increase by an entire 2 sizes on average.
  12. The oldest shoe found dates from before 5,500 years ago and was found in a cave in Armenia.
  13. About 20% of the American people have high arches.
  14. The first boots were made in 1840 for Queen Victoria.
  15. Your foot has 26 bones, 19 muscles and tendons, 107 ligaments and 33 joints.
  16. About 10% of the people of the US suffer from painful plantar fasciitis.
  17. When you stand up, your foot will get about 2 sizes longer as compared to when you are sitting or lying down.
  18. On average, females walk 3 miles more per day than males.
  19. Your feet are at their largest at the end of the day, which is why you should try on new shoes at this time of day. Read this article if you are not sure how the shoes are supposed to fit.
  20. While the average male foot size is 10, the world record for the largest feet is 28.5 belonging to Mathew McGrory.
  21. 9 out of every 10 women wear shoes which are too small for them.
  22. In the first year of a child’s life, its feet grow rapidly and can reach half their adult size. At the age of 12, the feet are at 90% of the adult size.
  23. Walking is the best way to exercise the feet. It improves circulation, weight and motion control.
  24. People at the ages of 30-40 begin losing the collagen and elastin of the padding of the feet which is the main cause of soreness and pain at the end of the day, especially when shoes with insufficient cushioning are worn.
  25. The pressure which runners put on their feet can reach four times their body weight.
  26. Since the feet contain 25% of the bones of our bodies, if there is a misalignment in them, there is a misalignment in the entire body.
  27. Inward ankle sprains are the most common sport related foot injuries.
  28. Your toenails grow faster in hot weather, during the teenage years and pregnancy.
  29. A child take its first steps between 13-17 months after its birth. The normal range is considered to be 10-18 months.
  30. On an average day, your feet can take the impact of forces equivalent to a loaded cement truck from walking only.
  31. Ancient Romans were first to design and construct distinct shoes for the left and the right foot. Before that the shoes worn on both feet had no difference in shape and form.
  32. The sweat glands in the feet produce about ½ pint of sweat per day. In fact, the soles have more sweat glands per square cm than any other part of the human body has.
  33. 20-30% of the people in the world have a longer second toe than the big toe, also known as Morton’s Toe.
  34. Every time you take a step, you heel on the ground takes and holds the weight of your entire body.
  35. Very rarely are two feet the same. It is common that your feet are different in size and shape, which is why you should always try both shoes on when buying new ones.
  36. Standing is much more demanding and tiring than walking because the entire weight and stress is put on only a few muscles when you stand still on one spot.
  37. The feet are often the first body part to be affected by illnesses such as: diabetes, arthritis, as well as circulatory and nerve disorders, so in a way they are a mirror of our overall health.
  38. 7 million Americans suffer from arthritis, which makes it the number one cause of disability in the US.
  39. The first shoes were foot wraps made from animal skin and probably originated during the Ice age.
  40. Shoe sizing was devised and adopted by King Edward II, who in 1324 declared that the diameter of a barley corn (1.3 of an inch) will be considered one full shoe size. This measure is still used in today’s sizing.