The World Foot Health Awareness focus for 2006 is on children's feet.
Maintaining and caring for a child's feet will benefit their health, mobility and wellbeing throughout their entire lives. Here is concise practical advice and information on babies and toddlers feet, their care and potential problems from birth, plus valuable advice on shoe choice from the South African Podiatry Association.
Do we really need toes?
The main function of toes is to press firmly against ground with their pads to take weight from the bony metatarsal heads under the ball of the foot; to improve grip and prevent backwards skid; and to maintain balance when the heel is raised.Scientific studies show that, when we lift our heels in walking, our body weight is not only carried by the ball of the foot but that the toes also contribute a weight-bearing area. Peak pressures under the toes, when the intrinsic muscles are able to contract together with the long flexor muscles, are similar to those experienced under the metatarsal heads of the ball of the foot. Toe contact occupies nearly three-quarters of a walking or gait cycle.
What causes feet to perspire too much?
Excessive perspiration in the feet, also known as hyperhidrosis or trench foot, is a function of over-active autonomic nerves. As the name implies, we have no voluntary control over the autonomic nervous system which controls such automatic functions as blinking and breathing.
Sometimes, the autonomic nervous system can be damaged as a result of trauma and accident to the spine or lower limbs, resulting in over-activity or under-activity of the autonomic nerves. The cause of over or under-active autonomic nerves may also be inherited.
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