In a series of blogs we will discuss what our feet are “made of”; what our feet do (or in most cases, what they should do, but don’t), and what we should be doing to take care of our feet.

What our feet are made of:

The Bones:

There are 21 bones in the foot. They are connected together by ligaments and fascia and their position is controlled by muscles and tendons.

The Muscles & Tendons:

Tendons attach muscles to bones. Muscles pull on the tendons which then move the bones.

There are muscles that help control the movements of the ankle and foot and as well as support the arches of the foot. Some of these muscles start in the calf area, and end in the foot. Other muscles start and end in the foot.

The Nerves:

Nerves carry signals to the muscles which allows them to contract. When a muscle contracts, it will pull on a tendon that is attached to a bone. This can cause a bone to move, joints to be pulled into a new position or a structure to stiffen (like the arch of the foot).

The Fascia:

The plantar fascia is connective tissue that supports the arch of the foot. It starts on the bottom of the heel and fans out toward the base of the toes.

If a picture is worth "a thousand words"; then a video must be worth a lot more. And thanks to YouTube there is a great video that I like to refer people to for a great overview of the anatomy of the foot. Please check it out here and next we'll talk about "What our feet should do and why foot pronantion Is OK".

                                                                                                                    -Kim Brandle, Registered Physiotherapist