Foot, Toe, and Nail Changes: Are They Interdependent?

Abstract

Plain Language SummaryThe foot of man is a strong organ consisting of 26 bones, 33 joints, of which 20 are actively movable, and more than 100 muscles, tendons and connective tissue bands keeping this complex body part together. The foot is usually divided into three parts, the hind, mid, and forefoot. The latter contains the toes as their most forward-pointing parts. They are covered by the nails, which are plates of hard horn substance. The toes increase the weight-bearing surface of the foot and are thus important for balance while standing and walking, for running and jumping. If the foot is not healthy this will seriously influence its function and also change the toenails. An examination of more than 1,600 persons’ toenail photographs was performed to find out, whether foot anomalies can be found in patients with toenail changes. This was in fact the case in a very high number of the patients.