10 ‘weirdly’ interesting facts you didn’t know about your feet
Where would you be if not without your feet?
We rarely give a second thought to these two vital pieces of our anatomy, but our lives would be pretty different if we didn’t have them!
Many of us don’t take the time to look after our feet, but in fact, they need a lot more tender loving care than many other parts of our bodies. They’re incredibly complex and can suffer a great deal of wear and tear over time.
So, in a nod to all the hard work our feet do for us daily, we’ve put together a list of 10 interesting facts to know about your feet. Prepare to be intrigued!
1. Your Feet flirts!
When it comes to flirtation, feet can reveal our feelings–well, for women anyway! Research shows that a woman who is feeling flirtatious will position their feet out and away from her body. If she’s not feeling the chemistry, she’ll cross her legs or tuck her feet beneath her. Mysteriously, the same phenomenon wasn’t observed in men.
2. Your feet sweat… all the time!
That’s right – even when you’re resting, your feet are constantly perspiring to help you maintain a healthy body temperature. A little moisture in your socks and shoes is normal, but if you find that your feet are sweating profusely, you may have a condition known as hyperhidrosis.
3. Toes Sometimes Surgically Replace Lost Thumbs
Did you know that if you ever lose your thumb, you could have it replaced with your big toe? While it might sound bizarre, the surgery is relatively common–and successful. The transplanted big toe, known as a “thoe” once it’s attached to the hand, allows people to regain all the benefits of the lost thumb, including opening doorknobs, holding a pencil (and plenty of other objects) and eating many types of food. (THE BIG TOE USED TO BE A KIND OF FOOT THUMB).
4. Foot Cheese Is an Actual Thing
If anyone’s ever told you that your feet smell like stinky cheese, rattle off this piece of trivia: It’s possible to make actual cheese with bacteria from foot sweat. In fact, Ireland held a Foot Cheese Exhibition in 2013 that featured several varieties of foot cheese and varieties that evolved from belly buttons and armpits. Yum! (Don’t worry, the exhibition didn’t feature a tasting room).
5. Ticklish Feet Are a Good Sign
With almost 8,000 nerves, it’s no wonder that feet win the award for “Most Ticklish Body Part.” But don’t lament the tickles–having ticklish feet means that all those nerves are firing correctly. Feet that don’t respond to a soft tickle could indicate a problem like neuropathy, or damage to the nerves and tissue of the foot.
6. FOOT NUMBNESS CAN CAUSE BIG PROBLEMS FOR DIABETICS:
Complications of diabetes include poor circulation and foot numbness that can lead to serious skin ulcers, which sometimes require amputation of toes or feet. In 2010 alone, 73,000 lower-limb amputations were performed on diabetics.
7. The average foot gets two sizes longer when a person stands up.
8. A Quarter of Your Bones Are in Your Feet
The human body is made up of 206 bones and 52 of these are found in your feet (26 in each foot). In addition to 26 bones, each foot also has 33 joints and over 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Babies’ foot bones keep developing until they become teenagers. This is one reason most young children look like they have flat feet – their feet are still very flexible. Their feet also have a fat pad in place of the arch in an adult’s foot.
9. Foot Sole Facts
You may already know that the thickest skin on your body is found on the soles of your feet. But did you also know that there are more nerve endings and sweat glands per square centimetre on the sole than anywhere else on the body? The sole of your foot has more sensory nerve endings and sweat glands. This makes them the most ticklish part of your body and also why stubbing your toes hurt so much.
10. Fingernails and Toenails tend to grow faster during hot weather, pregnancy and teenage years.