Feet facts
Here are 10 fast facts about your feet.
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A national survey of 1200 people commissioned by the Australasian Podiatry Council in May 2002 found that more than 60 per cent of people have experienced foot pain in their lifetime, two-thirds of those within the past 12 months. Yet only 2 out of 5 sought professional treatment for their pain.
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Thirty per cent of people surveyed in the national poll had experienced foot pain in the past week.
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Foot pain was equally common in men and women.
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Foot pain is experienced by people across the age spectrum, but the older a person is, the more likely they are to have experienced foot pain.
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Younger people are less likely to seek professional treatment for foot pain than older people.
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Of 1040 calls to a national helpline operated by the Australasian Podiatry Council in 1998, more than half of the enquiries were about heel pain.
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Foot pain can be a sign of systemic disease. Twenty per cent of rheumatoid arthritis cases and 35 per cent of stress fractures involve the feet.
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In older people, foot pain caused by stress fractures is associated with osteoporosis and can be an early warning sign for major fractures such as fractures of the hip.
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Children frequently experience pains in the feet and legs known as ‘growing pains’. ‘Growing pains’ occur most commonly in children aged between 4 and 6.
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In people with diabetes, the loss of pain sensation in the feet can lead to ulceration and amputation.
Last Reviewed: 11 October 2002
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