Foot health is critical to your overall health. If you doubt this, consider how dependent we are on our feet to perform even the simplest activities, such as walking across a room. Feet are structurally complex, consisting of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This enables feet to support the body and facilitate movement, but also leaves them vulnerable to illness and injury. Foot conditions requiring medical treatment are surprisingly common; it is estimated that nearly nine out of ten Americans experience foot pain at some point during their lives. Foot problems are particularly prevalent among the elderly.

Common foot conditions include the following:

• Athlete’s foot

• Blisters

• Bunions (bony bumps at the base of your big toe)

• Claw toe

• Corns

• Diabetic neuropathy

• Heel spurs

• Ingrown toenails

• Fractures and stress fractures

• Heel pain from Sever’s disease or plantar fasciitis

• Turf toe (a sprain in the big toe)

Foot conditions occur in various ways, including through overuse, ligament and muscle tears, traumatic injury, infection, degenerative conditions, and regular ill treatment (e.g., improperly fitted shoes).