Understanding Your Foot's Anatomy and What Can Go Wrong

Your feet are a crucial part of your body, and as much as we use them, it's easy to take them for granted. That's why it's important to understand how you can hurt them. 

It all starts with knowing what goes on in your foot. Between the muscles and bones, there's a lot of room for hurting yourself. Whether it be a blister, stubbing your toe, or getting a cramp, there are plenty of ways to take proper care of your foot so these things don't happen. 

At Renew Foot & Ankle, LLC in Grand Rapids and Bigfork, Minnesota, double board-certified podiatrist Eric Gilbertson, DPM, FACFAS specializes in foot care and can help you with any problems your foot may have. Here's what you need to know about your foot's anatomy and what you may do to hurt it accidentally. 

Your foot's anatomy

Each foot contains 26 bones, 30 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. All these parts of the foot team up together to provide support, balance, and mobility. 

Bones in your feet make up nearly a quarter of the body's bones. As for the joints, that's where two or more bones meet. The surfaces of the bones where they meet to form joints are covered with a cartilage layer, allowing the joints to glide smoothly against one another as they move. The joints are surrounded by a fibrous capsule lined with the synovium – a thin membrane that releases fluid to lubricate the joints.

Twenty muscles help shape the foot, as well as help support the foot and give it the ability to move. Many tendons attach these muscles to the bones, while the ligaments hold the bones together to maintain the foot's arch.

The main tendon of the foot is the Achilles tendon, which reaches from the calf muscle to the heel. The Achilles tendon makes it possible to run, jump, climb stairs and stand on your toes. It's also super easy to hurt if you're not careful. 

How you can hurt your foot

Foot pain can be caused by several factors, including injury, overusing and overworking the feet, or even conditions that cause inflammation in the feet. You could also damage the foot's nerves, leading to intense, burning pain, numbness, or tingling symptoms. Some common causes of foot pain include (but are not limited to):

• Broken foot or toes
• Tendinitis (inflammation of the thick fibrous cords that attach muscle to bone)
• Ingrown toenails 
• Constantly wearing high heels or uncomfortable/poorly fitted shoes
• Plantar fasciitis (inflammation of a wide band of tissue connecting the heel bone to the toes)
• Bunions (a bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of your big toe) 
• Stress fractures 

If you ever need to understand more about your foot's anatomy, want to know the proper precautions to take, or have experienced a foot injury, Renew Foot & Ankle is here to help you protect your feet. Give the office in Grand Rapids or Bigfork, Minnesota, a call or schedule online to book a consultation with Dr. Gilbertson today.