The foot is a structure found in many animals that is used for locomotion. Walking (also called ambulation) is the main form of Animal Locomotion on land, distinguished from Running and crawling In many animals, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of one or more segments or bones, generally including claws or nails. A leg is a limb on an Animal 's Body that supports the rest of the animal above the ground between the Ankle and the Hip and is used for

Contents 1 General forms 2 Bones 3 Articulations 4 Muscles 5 Blood Supply 6 Arches 7 Culture 8 Customs 9 Customary measurement 10 Medical aspects 11 Notes 12 References 13 External links

General forms

Among land animals, some arthropods and all vertebrates have complex foot organs. Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes The arthropod foot is known as a tarsus, and is distal to the tibia. The arthropod leg is a form of jointed Appendage of Arthropods usually used for Walking. In fields of Anatomy, anatomical terms of location are descriptive terms to help identify relative positions or directions within a species The arthropod leg is a form of jointed Appendage of Arthropods usually used for Walking. In primitive insects, the tarsus was a single segment, but in more highly evolved insects the tarsus is composed of up to five segments, generally bearing claws as well.

The feet of terrestrial vertebrates, called tetrapods, first evolved in amphibians from the fins of their aquatic ancestors, fish that ventured out of the water as early as 370 million years ago, in the Upper Devonian Period, perhaps to avoid predation and exploit the greater resource availability on land. Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes Tetrapods ( Greek τετραποδη tetrapoda, Latin Quadruped, "four-footed" are Vertebrate Animals eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Prehistoric amphibian Amphibians (class Amphibia such as Frogs Toads Salamanders Newts Gymnophiona, Sirens and The Anatomy of Fish is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of Water, which is much denser than air holds a relatively small amount of dissolved Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era spanning from to  million years ago. The fore- and hindlimbs of these earliest tetrapods evolved from the pectoral and pelvic fins of their fish ancestors, but early forms of feet such as those of Ichthyostega already contained the basic shape of the foot still possessed by tetrapods (although early tetrapods often had more than five digits, the most common form of foot in extant tetrapods). The Anatomy of Fish is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of Water, which is much denser than air holds a relatively small amount of dissolved The Anatomy of Fish is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of Water, which is much denser than air holds a relatively small amount of dissolved Ichthyostega (Greek "fish roof" is an early Tetrapod Genus that lived in the Upper Devonian ( Famennian) period 367-362 ^[1]

The feet of terrestrial vertebrates are characterized as plantigrade, digitigrade, or unguligrade. In Mammals, plantigrade locomotion means walking with the podials and Metatarsals flat on the ground A digitigrade is an animal that stands or walks on its digits or toes In plantigrade animals, such as frogs, bears, and humans, the bottom of the entire foot supports the weight of the animal. This article is about the block cipher algorithm For the ultrafast laser pulse measurement technique see Frequency-resolved optical gating. In digitigrade animals, such as wolves and birds, the toes bear the animal's weight, while the upper regions of the foot, the ankle and wrist, remain elevated. A digitigrade is an animal that stands or walks on its digits or toes The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Finally, in unguligrade animals, such as cows or horses, even the toes are elevated, the animal standing only atop its nails, which have evolved to bear weight and are called hooves. HoofRearHoovesjpg|thumb|200px|right|Rear hooves of a horse]] A hoof is the tip of a Toe of an Ungulate Mammal, strengthened by a thick horny (

Foot
A human foot - Enlarge to view legend
Latin	pes
Artery	dorsalis pedis, medial plantar, lateral plantar
Nerve	medial plantar, lateral plantar, deep fibular, superficial fibular
MeSH	Foot

The human foot is of the plantigrade form. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Arteries are Blood vessels that carry blood away from the Heart. In Human anatomy, the dorsalis pedis artery ( dorsal artery of foot) is a Blood vessel of the Lower limb that carries oxygenated blood to the The medial plantar artery ( internal plantar artery) much smaller than the lateral passes forward along the medial side of the Foot. The lateral plantar artery ( external plantar artery) much larger than the medial passes obliquely lateralward and forward to the base of the fifth Metatarsal bone A nerve is an enclosed cable-like bundle of peripheral Axons (the long slender projections of Neurons. The medial plantar nerve ( internal plantar nerve) the larger of the two terminal divisions of the Tibial nerve, accompanies the Medial plantar artery. The lateral plantar nerve ( external plantar nerve) is a branch of the Tibial nerve, in turn a branch of the Sciatic nerve and supplies the skin of the fifth The deep fibular nerve ( deep peroneal nerve) begins at the bifurcation of the Common peroneal nerve, between the Fibula and upper part of the fibularis The superficial fibular nerve (also known as the superficial peroneal nerve innervates the Fibularis longus and Fibularis brevis muscles and the skin over the greater part of Medical Subject Headings ( MeSH) is a huge Controlled vocabulary (or metadata system for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books The bottom of the foot is called the sole and the area just behind the toes is called the ball. The ball of the foot is where the Toes join with the rest of the foot The skin at the sole of the foot is denser than any other skin on the human body. The evolution of man has seen the density of the sole of the foot increase as man developed the ability to walk using the legs only.

Bones

The major bones in the human foot are:

• Phalanges: The bones in the toes are called phalanges. The name Phalanx (plural phalanges) is commonly given to the Bones that form Fingers and Toes In Primates such as Humans Toes are the digits of the Foot of an animal Many animal species such as Cats walk on their toes and are described as being Digitigrade
• Metatarsals: The bones in the middle of the foot are called metatarsal bones. The metatarsus consists of the five long Bones of the Foot, which are numbered from the medial side ( ossa metatarsalia I
• Cuneiforms: There are three bones in the middle of the foot, towards the centre of the body, called cuneiforms. There are three cuneiform Bones in the Human Foot: the Medial cuneiform the Intermediate
• Cuboid: The bone sitting adjacent to the cuneiforms on the outside of the foot is called the cuboid. The cuboid Bone is one of seven tarsal bones Articulations Distally, the Cuboid articulates with the fourth and Fifth
• Navicular: This bone sits behind the cuneiforms. The navicular bone occurs in human and horse anatomy Human anatomy The navicular bone is one of the tarsal bones, found in the Foot.
• Talus: Also called the ankle bone, the talus sits directly behind the navicular. See Talus for other meanings of the word The talus bone or astragalus of the Ankle joint connects the leg to the foot
• Calcaneus: Also called the heel bone, the calcaneus sits under the talus and behind the cuboid. The calcaneus, or the heel bone is the largest bone of the Human foot.

The foot also contains sesamoid bones in the distal portion of the first metatarsal bone. In Anatomy, a sesamoid bone is a Bone embedded within a Tendon. The first metatarsal bone is the bone in the body of the foot just behind the big toe

Articulations

The articulations of the foot are:

1. ankle
2. intertarsal articulations
3. metatarsophalangeal articulations
4. interphalangeal articulations of foot

Muscles

Main article: Muscles of foot

The muscles of the foot include:

• Dorsal
  • extensor digitorum brevis
  • extensor hallucis brevis

• Plantar
  • abductor hallucis
  • flexor digitorum brevis
  • abductor digiti minimi
  • quadratus plantae
  • lumbrical muscle
  • flexor hallucis brevis
  • adductor hallucis
  • flexor digiti minimi brevis
  • dorsal interossei
  • plantar interossei

Blood Supply

• Arterial
  • Dorsal
    • Dorsalis pedis
    • Lateral tarsal artery
    • Arcuate artery
    • Deep plantar artery
    • Metatarsal arteries
    • Dorsal digital arteries
  • Plantar
    • Medial plantar artery
    • Lateral plantar artery
    • Deep plantar arch
    • Perforating arteries
    • Plantar metatarsal arteries
    • Plantar digital arteries
• Venous
  • Dorsal metatarsal veins
  • Dorsal venous arch
  • Plantar venous arch
  • Plantar digital veins
  • Dorsal digital veins

Arches

Main article: Arches of the foot

Culture

In different cultures, feet are perceived and treated differently. In Human anatomy, the ankle Joint is formed where the Foot and the leg meet Intertarsal articulations are the Joints of the tarsus. The specific intertarsal articulations are Talocalcaneal articulation The metatarsophalangeal articulations are the joints between the Metatarsal bones of the foot and the proximal bones ( Proximal phalanges) of the Toes. The interphalangeal articulations of the foot ( articulations of the Phalanges) are Ginglymoid joints and each has a plantar and two collateral ligaments This is a table of Muscles of the Human anatomy. There are approximately 640 Skeletal muscles within the typical human and almost every muscle constitutes one The extensor digitorum brevis muscle is a Muscle on the upper surface of the foot that helps extend digits 2 through 4 The extensor hallucis brevis is a Muscle on the top of the foot that helps to extend the Big toe. The Abductor hallucis lies along the Medial border of the Foot and covers the origins of the plantar vessels and nerves The Flexor digitorum brevis lies in the middle of the sole of the foot immediately above the central part of the Plantar Aponeurosis, with which it is firmly united The Quadratus plantæ ( Flexor accessorius) is separated from the muscles of the first layer by the lateral plantar vessels and nerve The lumbrical muscles are intrinsic Muscles in the Fingers that allow flexion at the Metacarpophalangeal joints while maintaining extension at the interphalangeal The Flexor hallucis brevis arises by a pointed tendinous process from the medial part of the under surface of the Cuboid bone, from the contiguous portion of the third The Adductor hallucis ( Adductor obliquus hallucis) arises by two heads—oblique and transverse The plantar interossei, three in number lie beneath rather than between the Metatarsal bones and each is connected with but one Metatarsal bone In Human anatomy, the dorsalis pedis artery ( dorsal artery of foot) is a Blood vessel of the Lower limb that carries oxygenated blood to the The lateral tarsal artery ( tarsal artery) arises from the Dorsalis pedis, as that vessel crosses the Navicular bone; it passes in an arched direction lateralward The deep plantar artery (ramus plantaris profundus communicating artery) descends into the Sole of the foot, between the two heads of the first Interosseous Dorsal digital arteries arise from the bifurcation of Dorsal metacarpal arteries. The medial plantar artery ( internal plantar artery) much smaller than the lateral passes forward along the medial side of the Foot. The lateral plantar artery ( external plantar artery) much larger than the medial passes obliquely lateralward and forward to the base of the fifth Metatarsal bone The perforating arteries, usually three in number are so named because they perforate the tendon of the Adductor magnus to reach the back of the Thigh. The plantar metatarsal arteries ( digital branches) are four in number and run forward between the Metatarsal bones and in contact with the Interossei. The dorsal metatarsal veins are veins which drain the metatarsus of the foot The dorsal venous arch of the foot is a superficial vein that connects the Small saphenous vein and the Great saphenous vein. The four metatarsal veins run backward in the Metatarsal spaces, communicate by means of perforating veins with the veins on the dorsum of the Foot, and unite to form the The plantar digital veins arise from Plexuses on the Plantar surfaces of the Digits, and after sending intercapitular veins to join the Dorsal digital The arches of the foot are formed by the Tarsal and Metatarsal bones and strengthened by Ligaments and Tendons, allow the foot to support the

• In China, between the 10th and 20th centuries the practice of female foot binding was used to stop the growth of feet, resulting in an aesthetically preferred though deformed foot. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National
• In Middle Eastern societies, female feet are considered to be beautiful organs that need constant care. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Among the popular activities related to the feet in the Middle East are henna drawing and wearing of anklets. Henna or Hina ( Lawsonia inermis, syn L alba) is a Flowering plant, the sole species in the genus Lawsonia An anklet, ankle chain or ankle bracelet is an ornament worn around the Ankle.
• Within several Christian denominations, foot washing is a religious ritual originating in Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet at the Last Supper. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Foot washing or washing of feet is a religious Rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions In the Christian Gospels the Last Supper (also called the Lord's Supper or Mystical Supper) was the last meal Jesus shared with his
• Foot fetishism is a sexual interest and preoccupation with feet and hosiery. Foot fetishism, foot partialism, foot worship, or podophilia is a pronounced sexual interest in feet. Hosiery is knitted coverings for the legs and feet Also referred to as legwear hosiery describes garments worn directly on the feet and Legs The term Playing footsie means people rubbing each other's feet, and can have sexual connotations, while a foot job is a sex act involving the feet. Footsies, playing footsies or footsie is a practice in which people use their feet to play with each other's feet Non-penetrative sex (also known as outercourse and dry sex) is Sexual activity without Vaginal Anal, and Oral penetration

Customs

Customs about footwear while indoors vary significantly from place to place and usually depend on climate, weather, and other factors:

• It is customary to remove one's footwear when entering a home:
  • in much of Europe and Canada, and in many homes in New Zealand, Ethiopia and Australia. Footwear consists of Garments worn on the feet, for protection against the environment and Adornment. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.
  • in Korea and Japan the custom is so widespread that floors are often made of materials that are too soft to survive being walked on with shoes. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.
• In some cultures, bare feet may be considered unsightly or offensive. In Thailand, it is considered extremely offensive to show someone the sole of your foot, although the practice of going barefoot is common, due to various reasons including hot climate and tradition. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj For people with the name Barefoot see Barefoot (surname Going barefoot (also barefoot ed) means for a person not to use or
• In many religious subgroups of Uzbekistan, touching another's foot is a sign of affection. However, more conservative families consider this to be an act of promiscuity.
• Regardless of covering, according to Thai normshttp://en.wikipedia.org../../../../articles/c/u/l/Culture_of_Thailand_0bed.html#Customs feet are the least respected parts of the body; they should not be in a higher position than someone's head and should not face someone or an image of Buddha. The Culture of Thailand is heavily influenced by Buddhism. Other influences have included Hinduism, conflict and trade with Southeast Asian neighbors such as Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder
• The feet are one of the most common places to be tickled on the human body. Tickling is the act of touching a part of the body so as to cause involuntary twitching movements or Laughter. The soles generally tend to be sensitive to tickling, although other places (such as the toes) are often found to be ticklish as well. The sole is the bottom of the human Foot. Anatomically the sole of the foot is referred to as the plantar aspect. Tickling is the act of touching a part of the body so as to cause involuntary twitching movements or Laughter. Toes are the digits of the Foot of an animal Many animal species such as Cats walk on their toes and are described as being Digitigrade

Customary measurement

One way to measure short distances on the ground is by placing one foot directly in front of the other; this apparently led to the adoption of the foot as a unit of length, even though the typical human foot does not correspond to this measure. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit

It is a myth that the Imperial "foot" (304. Imperial units or the Imperial system is a collection of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824 A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit 8 mm) is about the length of the average European male foot. The average today is less than 270 mm and 90% of the population is within 20 mm of that. Very few men today have feet that are a "foot" long: most are more than 35 mm shorter. In the past, the average length would have been less. Even the overall length of most shoes remains well short of one "foot". Tradition has it that the Imperial foot was based upon the size of Hercules' foot. Hercules is the Roman name for the Mythical Greek hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena.

Medical aspects

Due to their position and function, feet are exposed to a variety of potential infections and injuries, including athlete's foot, bunions, ingrown toenails, Morton's neuroma, plantar fasciitis, plantar warts and stress fractures. Athlete's foot, also called Tinea Pedis, is a Parasitic fungal infection of the epidermis of the human foot A bunion ( hallux valgus) is a structural deformity of the bones and the Joint between the foot and big toe and may be painful Onychocryptosis, commonly known as ingrown nails ( unguis incarnatus) or ingrowing nails, is a common form of Nail disease. Morton's neuroma (also known as Morton's metatarsalgia, Morton's neuralgia, plantar neuroma and intermetatarsal neuroma) is a Benign Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory condition of the Foot caused by excessive wear to the Plantar fascia that supports the Arch A plantar wart (also verruca plantaris or commonly known as verruca) is a Wart caused by the Human papillomavirus (HPV occurring on the This article is about stress fractures in bones For stress fractures in engineering see Fracture and Fatigue (material. In addition, there are several genetic conditions that can affect the shape and function of the feet, including a club foot or flat feet. A clubfoot, or talipes equinovarus (TEV is a Birth defect.TEV is classified into 2 groups Postural TEV or Structural TEV

A doctor who specializes in the treatment of the feet practices podiatry and is called a podiatrist. Podiatry or podiatric medicine is a field of Healthcare devoted to the study and treatment of disorders of the Foot, Ankle, and the "anatomical Podiatry or podiatric medicine is a field of Healthcare devoted to the study and treatment of disorders of the Foot, Ankle, and the "anatomical A pedorthist specializes in the use and modification of footwear to treat problems related to the lower limbs. A Certified Pedorthist, or C Ped is a specialist in using footwear - which includes shoes shoe modifications foot orthoses and other pedorthic devises - to solve problems

Reflexology is an alternative therapy which involves the stimulation of the nerves and skin of the feet to improve a person's health. Reflexology, or zone therapy, is the practice of massaging squeezing or pushing on parts of the feet, or sometimes the Hands and Ears with

Notes

References

• Klenerman, Leslie, and Wood, Bernard. The Human Foot: A Companion to Clinical Studies. 2006, Springer. ISBN 185233925X.

External links

• Foot at the Open Directory Project
• Anatomical illustrations
• Foot hygiene tips

The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic