How many bones does the human foot have?

This is one of the parts of the human body with the most bones, but they are arranged simply.

How many bones are there in each foot? It is very likely that the most neglected part of the human body is the foot. It is down there and always wrapped in a sock, slippers or summer flip-flops, almost invisible. However, this limb is one of the structures of the human organism with the most bones, along with the hands.

Practically half of the total of all the bones in our body are concentrated in these two limbs. No more and no less than 26 bones in each foot. But how are the bones in the foot organized? how are the bones of the human foot organized? Let's see it.

The 3 parts of the human foot according to its bones

The human foot represents a fundamental part of our body, since they are our main engine for a correct mobility, as well as the sustenance to keep us upright. The curiosity lies in the complexity of its bone formation. As we saw in the previous section, the foot is made up of more than twenty bones divided into three different groups, which are the phalanges, the tarsus and the metatarsus.

At this point we will give a brief description of the three parts of the bones of the human foot.

1. The tarsus

The tarsus connects the foot to the tibia and fibula.The tarsus connects the foot to the tibia and fibula, which has 7 bones such as the calcaneus, talus, cuboid, navicular and, finally, the internal, middle and external cuneiform bones. In this set of bones, the position of some depends in part on Muscle movements, but there are exceptions such as the astragalus, whose position depends only on where the surrounding bones are located.

2. The metatarsus

There are five bones that compose the metatarsal, the ossa metatarsalia in medical terms: first metatarsal, second metatarsal, third metatarsal, fourth metatarsal and fifth metatarsal.

They have the appearance of being the inner part of the toes, i.e. the projections of the toes.They have the appearance of being the inner part of the toes, i.e., the projections at the tip of which the phalanges protrude at their most distal joint. However, they are much less flexible, as they go inside the foot and give shape to its rather rigid structure.

3. The phalanges

This is one of the most complex parts of the bones of the human foot, since the phalanges consist of 14 bones in total. There are three phalanges for each toe (except for the thumb which has only two) and they are separated by three sections: proximal, middle and distal phalanx.

Although superficially the toes appear very simple (in part because of their small size and reduced mobility), we must not forget that they have evolved from the proximal, middle and distal phalanxes, it should not be forgotten that they evolved from the much more articulated feet present in most primates, and that they were adapted to a more complex and complex diet.and that they were adapted to an arboreal life. In other words, they are atrophied versions of anatomical structures similar to human hands, and although they are not functionally complex, they are anatomically complex because they retain their basic structure.

The most common foot injuries

Certainly, the foot has a high injury rate considering the function so basic to the functioning of the human body. The foot is a limb that, apart from its 26 bones, has 33 joints and about 120 tendons, ligaments and various muscles.. Therefore, there are common injuries that affect a significant portion of the population.

Flat feet or "fallen arches" represent 70% of human foot injuries. In this case, the specialist podiatrist will recommend insoles to correct the curvature of the sole. Overweight is an extremely incisive factor in this type of problem, so having a correct control of body weight will avoid future complications.

The so-called "bunions" are also a headache for more than one person. These form a hard mass in the joint of the big toe that is noticeably uncomfortable when moving this joint. the joint of the big toe, which is very uncomfortable when moving this area, as well as corns and calluses, which are the result ofThe same applies to corns, which are the result of friction and the pressure exerted by shoes on the toes.

Some recommendations

Considering the importance of the foot, it is important to take into consideration some recommendations for the proper care of the bones and joints that make up the foot. The bones of the foot, if broken, are generally complicated to healThe bones of the foot, if broken, are generally complicated to heal, since no toe can be cast to straighten the break or to accelerate bone regeneration.

We must also be concerned about hygiene, warn professionals, because the feet are carriers of bacteria and microbes that seep under the nails and hairs of the toes.. Keeping feet dry, clean and with well trimmed nails will prevent many painful infections and often produce bad odors.

Good footwear is another precaution to take into account, since foot discomfort causes hip, back and neck pain.