The human foot is the part of the human body that maximally distinguishes upright humans from primates. Every day she experiences a huge load, so the vast majority of people in one way or another have problems associated with it. The human foot is constantly influenced by several factors: physical activity, general he alth, type of profession, shoe pressure. All of them can lead to diseases of this organ.
To understand how you can reduce the negative impact of various factors that affect the he alth of the lower extremities, you should study what the human foot consists of. This organ includes joints and bones; tendons and ligaments; nerves; muscles; blood vessels. The human foot skeleton consists of 26 bones grouped into 3 sections: proximal (tarsus; talus; navicular; calcaneus; cuboid; intermediate, medial and lateral cuneiform bones), metatarsus (consists of five short bones located between the phalanges and tarsus), fingers (14 bones that make up the segments (phalanges)). It is noteworthy that the thumb has 2 phalanges, and all the rest have 3.
The anatomy of the human foot is determined by our ability to walk on two legs. What is this organ? Its bone base is the talus, tightly connected to the tibia. They form the ankle joint. The main load of body weight falls on the calcaneus and metatarsal bones. The five metatarsal bones are connected to the phalanges of the fingers. The skeleton of the foot is connected by ligaments responsible for the integrity of the joints. An important role is played by tendons, which unite muscles with bones. The strength and elasticity of these tissues are given by collagen fibers, which are intertwined in the form of a rope. The most important tendon of the foot is the so-called "Achilles", which is a continuation of the calf muscle. It is attached to the heel bone. It is it that allows a person to rise on his toes and bend his feet. The tendon that originates from the posterior tibial muscle provides inward turns, supports the arches of the foot. Small ligaments connect bones. Some of them form a capsule surrounding the articular parts of the bones. It is filled with joint fluid.
The human foot includes many muscles: soles, rear, intertarsal. Among them are flexion and extensor. Nerves are located in their thickness, the main of which is the tibial. Descending from under the inner ankle, it appears on the foot. This nerve provides the movement of a large number of muscles of the foot, gives it sensitivity. Well, they are responsible for the blood supply to this organ.two arteries: posterior and anterior tibial. One of them passes in the sole and is divided there into two branches. The second (front) passes in front of the foot, forming an arc. Venous outflow is carried out using two superficial (great and small saphenous) and two deep veins (posterior and anterior tibial).
There are special "arches" in the human foot. It is built as a springy arch ending in the toes and heel. The bones of the foot make up two arches - transverse and longitudinal. In a he althy person, the load on the lower limb is distributed evenly and in accordance with the phases of a step or run. The human foot rests on the floor at the back (heel tubercle) and front (metatarsal bones), which provides it with good spring properties.
