The three main sections of the foot – the forefoot, midfoot and hindfoot – do very different jobs.

 

The forefoot is the longest section – from the beginning of your metatarsals to the ends of your toes. The joints between your metatarsals and toes form the ball of your foot, which is where you get much of your stability when walking, while your toes give you grip and spring. Although the forefoot bones are relatively thin, they support around half your body weight. Your big toe has two bones whereas your other toes have three.

 

The midfoot is the arch of your foot, formed by five chunky tarsal bones which combine to function as a powerful shock absorber.

 

There are just two bones in your hindfoot – the ankle and heel bones. The joint between them allows you to rotate your foot at the ankle. Meanwhile, the two joints between the ankle bone and the two bones of your lower leg (tibia and fibula) form a hinge that enables you to move your foot up and down.

 

The ligaments and tendons in your foot are strong, elastic fibres which bind the whole structure together. The large Achilles tendon attaches the calf muscles to the heel bone to allow you to rise up on your toes.

 

But what makes the whole structure work is the network of muscles, nerves and blood vessels; and protecting all this is your skin. One of the vital functions that skin performs is maintaining your normal body temperature, either by radiating heat and excreting sweat to cool down, or retaining them to keep you warm. This is why feet which spend most of their time in shoes and socks produce so much sweat – up to ¼ litre of it a day. And it’s sweaty feet that are most vulnerable to Athlete’s Foot.