Dem bones...Dem bones...

A new year is upon us – happy 2013 to all!

Let’s kick off the first blog of the year with a review of the 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments that make up each of your feet!

The 52 bones in your feet are one quarter of all the bones in your body. So think about it, if your feet are out of alignment, imagine the effect on the rest of your bones!

In each foot, your forefoot has five metatarsal bones and phlanges (better known as your toes). The first metatarsal bone is very important during propulsion better known as moving forward. The second, third and fourth metatarsal bones are the most stable.

Near the first metatarsal on the bottom of your foot are two bones called sesmoid bones. They are held in place by tendons and ligaments.

Your midfoot has five of the seven tarsal bones. The bones of the midfoot are the navicular, cuboid and three cuneiforms along with multiple joints.

 
In your hindfoot, you have two bones on the larger side called the calcaneus and the talus. The largest of the tarsal bones is the calcaneus and it forms your heel. The talus sits on top of the calcaneus and forms the pivot of the ankle.

All of this structure allows the average person to take anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. Tally that over a lifetime and you will have walked over 115,000 miles with bragging rights that you circled the earth four times on foot!