Foot
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A human foot - Enlarge to view legend |
The
foot is a biological structure found in many
animals that is used for
locomotion.
In many societies, it is customary to cover the foot in most social situations; particularly outside, in many cultures (including
North American,
European,
Japanese and others)
people wear protective clothing over the foot. Common types of
footwear include
sandals,
shoes, and
boots. Consistent wearing of footwear, particularly in hot climates or during exercise, can lead to
foot odor. If footwear is ill-fitting or badly designed, it can cause both short-term (
blisters, for example) and long-term foot problems. On the other hand, carefully designed orthopedic footwear is an effective treatment for many foot, leg, and back problems.
Customs about foot covering while indoors vary significantly from place to place. For example, in much of
Europe and
Canada, and in many homes in
New Zealand, it is customary to remove one's shoes or boots when entering a home, while in the
United States this is rare in most parts of the country. In
Japan, the custom is so widespread that floors are often made of materials that are too soft to survive being walked on by shod feet. In some cultures, bare feet may be considered unsightly or offensive. In
Arab countries and in
Thailand, it is considered extremely offensive to show someone the sole of your foot, although the practice of not wearing shoes is common, due to various reasons including poverty and religion.
Certain
martial arts, such as
Savate, emphasise using the foot as a striking surface in
kicking, reasoning that the foot is the only part of the body regularly covered by protective clothing. Other combative sports such as
Muay Thai, do not use the foot as a striking surface, but rather the shin. On the other hand, some martial arts (including
Karate,
Judo) are customarily trained in bare feet, as well as beach sports (for example
beach volleyball). Many
sports, including
football (in all its forms, including
soccer), and
rugby, involve kicking a ball or other object with the foot.
The foot provides a convenient way to measure short distances on the ground, by placing one foot directly in front of the other; this led to the adoption of the
foot as a unit of length.
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The bones in the human foot |
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Right feet of three siblings |
Parts of the foot
*
Heel*
Instep*
Sole*
Ball* Five
toes:
big, pointer, middle, ring, pinky
toes*
Toenails
Disorders of the feet
*
Athlete's foot*
Bunion*
Callus*
Flat feet*
Wart*
Barefoot*
Foot binding*
Foot fetishism*
Footwear*
Hosiery*
Paw*
Podiatry*
Reflexology*
Toes*
Hallux*
Toe ring*
Podiatry 7 News*
American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons*
American Podiatric Medical Association*
American Board of Podiatric Surgery*
American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine*
American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society* http://www.podiatrytoday.com/podtd/
* http://www.epodiatry.com/foot_problems.htm
* http://www.barefooters.org/
* http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/
* http://www.foothealthcare.com/html/articles/allabout.htm
* http://www.sxc.hu/photo/475162
*
Italian Podiatrist Community
