Facts about feet

There are a ton of references to feet in the play Rx. In honor of this quirk, here are some facts about feet that you probably didn't know. 

• The foot is an intricate structure containing 26 bones with thirty-three joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and multiple tendons that hold the structure together and allow it to move in a variety of ways.

• Those same 52 bones in your pair of feet account for one quarter of all of the bones in your body.

• Though the United States measures a foot as being twelve inches, the average size of American feet are 10.5 (10.81 inches) for men, and 8.5 (9.1 inches) for women.

• Human feet have more sweat glands than any other part of the body, roughly 125,000 per foot. Human feet can also sweat up to a pint of fluid a day.

• One of the reasons that feet are so ticklish is because there are more sensory nerve endings per inch than in any other place on the body.

• As many as 90% of women in the United States wear a shoe size that is too small. 

• Your feet are a good guide to your overall health, as they are one of the first areas of your body to show signs of illness. Hairless toes can be a sign of poor blood circulation and any indentations in your toenails can also be a sign of disease. Any changes you notice in your feet should be reported to your doctor.

• Though many people consider feet to be ugly, many more spend big bucks to make theirs prettier. An estimated $6 billion is spent in the US every year on manicures and pedicures. This total only goes up when we add in the cost of jewelry, hosiery and designer footwear as well as the occasional foot tattoo.

• There are times when you're walking that the pressure on your feet exceeds your body weight, and when you're running, it can be three or four times your weight.

• An average, healthy person should aim to take 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. That covers several miles and adds up to about 115,000 miles in a lifetime. By age 70, the average person will have walked the equivalent of 4 times around the globe.

• 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.

• Fingernails and toenails grow faster during hot weather, pregnancy and teenage years. 

• The ancient Romans were the first to construct distinct left and right shoes. Before that, shoes could be worn on either foot.

• The average foot gets two sizes longer when a person stands up. 

• Shoe sizes were devised in England by King Edward II who declared in 1324 that the diameter of one barely corn- a third of an inch- would represent one full shoe size. That’s still true today. 

• Shopping for shoes is best done in the afternoon. Your feet tend to swell a little during the day, and it's best to buy shoes to fit them then. Have your feet measured every time you purchase shoes, and do it while you're standing. When you try on shoes, try them on both feet; many people have one foot larger than the other, and it's best to fit the larger one.