20 More Facts About Feet

We recently shared a few fun facts about feet. In this physical therapy education article, we are going to share 21 more fun facts about the human foot!

1. Over the counter revenue of foot care products sold in the USA:
   • 2011 – $453 million
   • 2017 – $495 million
2. On average, running shoes wear out after 300-500 miles depending on running style, training technique, and environmental conditions.
3. ~10% of the population has an extra bone in their foot called an Os Trigonum.
4. An increase in shoe flexibility increases risk of turf toe.
5. Soccer plays are more likely to develop turf toe on their planting leg vs their kicking leg.
6. 85% of all ankle sprains are lateral.
7. Ankle ligament injuries constitute 5-25% of all injuries occurring in individual sports.
8. More than 40% of ankle sprains can potentially progress to chronic problems.
9. The type of sneaker worn during basketball (high top vs low top) has been studied and discovered no relationship to the incidence of injury.
10. The ankle joint sustains the greatest load per surface area of any joint in the body.
11. Peak forces in the ankle reach 120% of body weight during walking and 275% during running.
12. A 180lb man absorbs about 76.2 tons on each foot while walking one mile and about 121.5 tons per foot while running one mile.
13. The feet contain 250,000 sweat glands, giving off half a pint of moisture per day.
14. It is rare for feet to be the same, typically one is larger than the other.
15. The first shoes were invented during the Ice Age and were made from animal skins (5,000,000 years ago!).
16. The best time to shoe shop is during the afternoon due to the feet being the most swollen at this time of day.
17. A fully developed arch does not occur until age 2.
18. Having ticklish feet are a good thing; it means the 8,000 nerves in the feet are working.
19. According to Guiness Book of World Records, Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernande from Venezuela, holds the current record for the largest feet on a living person. His feet measure 40.55 cm on his right and 40.47cm on his left.
20. According to Guiness Book of World Records, Daniel Rose-Levine from Minneapolis, MN holds a record of 16.96 seconds for completing a Rubik’s cube with his feet.

Physical Rehabilitation in MN

At OrthoRehab Specialists, our physical therapists have been helping patients for more than three decades regain their mobility and range-of-motion following injuries, accidents, and surgical procedures. We offer direct access to physical therapy care and also have established referral relationships with over 600 local providers. Contact us today to learn more about our services or to set up your appointment at one of our Twin Cities physical therapy clinics. Our primary clinics are located in Edina and Minneapolis, but we serve the entire state of Minnesota.