It is our feet that carry us through life. They provide our balance, our groundedness, which prevents us from "getting carried away", straying from the path, and stumbling.
As a symbol of stability, security, and locomotion, the foot and what is connected to it plays no insignificant role in our everyday language. Anyone who speaks of losing the ground beneath their feet is asking for support. Anyone who lives beyond their means is borrowing from the future. Anyone who can competently represent their point of view will have their big moment here. Ultimately, everyone must answer for their missteps, but if we do, everything quickly makes sense again and runs smoothly.
The foot is an architectural masterpiece of nature
Our feet sometimes do heavy work, yet they do not receive adequate attention and necessary care. In the course of evolution, the human foot has developed into an architectural masterpiece of nature.
No matter how talented an architect, none would seriously dare to build such a mighty structure as the human body on such small standing surfaces as the feet. Yet, despite these standing surfaces being so tiny compared to the load entrusted to them, they contain 26 foot bones, about a quarter of all the bones in the human body. They consist of seven tarsal bones and five metatarsal bones, complemented by fourteen phalanges. These foot bones are connected by 33 joints, and their stability and mobility are enabled by 114 ligaments and over two hundred tendons.
However, this complex, highly functional work of art is only partially moved by the foot muscles that are directly on the foot. These "intrinsic muscles," i.e., the toe muscles located on the foot, are found on the top of the foot, on the sole of the foot, and on the ball of the big toe or little toes. The movement of the foot bones, which are connected by joints, occurs with significant support from the "extrinsic muscles," which are the muscles located in the lower leg and thus outside the foot.
The Achilles tendon plays a very important role in this context, connecting the triceps surae muscle to the heel bone. It is the strongest tendon in the human body, measuring about fifteen to twenty centimeters in length, and ensures the foot's ability to flex. Without the Achilles tendon, any natural bipedal locomotion for humans would be impossible.
The foot deserves attention and care
The foot is one of the most important parts of the human body. According to the children's song "Show me your feet, show me your shoes!" we should therefore give our feet appropriate attention and care. If we remember that highly sensitive foot reflex zones are located on the entire foot and not, as is often mistakenly claimed, only on the soles of the feet, it becomes clear that any disregard can have serious consequences for the entire body.
Shoes that are too tight, inferior, wrong, or ill-fitting are at the beginning of a long list of possible triggers that could massively restrict the functionality of our feet. If the foot does not have enough space for the free play of its foot muscles, which is necessary for any form of unrestricted bipedal locomotion, unpleasant pressure points or pain will occur sooner or later. If these are ignored, deformities develop, the later correction of which can prove to be significantly more complex and costly than the timely procurement of suitable footwear ever could have been.
Overweight leads to overstraining of the foot
A particular risk factor for the full functionality of the foot is overweight. Since this is in the majority of cases due to an inadequate lifestyle – i.e., a combination of too rich, wrong diet and lack of exercise – the problem of aching feet in this context has more complex causes. Long-term overweight or even genuine obesity can lead to diabetes, which in turn causes diabetic foot syndrome.
The constant overstraining of the foot is reflected over the years in joint wear, osteoarthritis, and painful deformities. However, anyone who wants to lose weight must first get moving, walk as much as possible, and actively shape their daily routine on their two legs. As can be easily seen, in the case of massive overweight, a whole package of measures is necessary to sustainably relieve one's feet. The right footwear and certain training to strengthen the foot and toe muscles to improve the resilience of the feet are indispensable here.
