Common Issues and How to Manage Them

The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons made of strong fibrous tissues to keep all the moving parts together — not to mention more sweat glands than any other part of the body.

Indeed, the foot is an evolutionary marvel, capable of handling hundreds of tons of force — your weight in motion — every day. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), every mile a person walks puts as much as 60 tons of pressure on each foot. The foot’s myriad parts, including the toes, heel, and ball, work together to get you from one place to another.

But the stress of carrying you around puts your feet at high risk of injury, higher than any other body part. And many foot problems, including hammertoes, blisters, bunions, corns and calluses, claw and mallet toes, ingrown toenails, toenail fungus, and athlete’s foot, can develop due to neglect, ill-fitting shoes, and simple wear and tear, says Saylee Tulpule, a podiatrist who practices in Maryland and Washington D.C.

“Since our body weight is on our feet, it’s really important to wear good-quality shoes,” says Tulpule. That means choosing shoes that are durable and offer good support and cushion to protect the soft tissue and joints of the feet, she notes.

It’s also important not to disregard foot pain, and keep in mind that this can sometimes be the first sign of a systemic problem, says Tulpule. Gout, for example, often affects the foot joints first. And, she notes, “With diabetes, patients will often report symptoms of numbness or a burning sensation in their feet.” Patients may also report that their feet feel colder to the touch, and the skin of the feet may appear thinner, says Tulpule. “These are all indications that perhaps there could be a larger issue at hand, whether it’s diabetes or another condition that’s causing vascular issues [circulation problems],” she adds.

To keep your hardworking tootsies in top form, learn how to identify some common foot-health issues and what you can do to manage them.