How your feet work and three steps to keeping them healthy, from the Harvard Health Letter

We ask a lot of our feet. They provide a steady base when we stand, serve as shock absorbers when we move, and help propel us forward—and sometimes backward—when we walk or run. It's no wonder that so many people develop foot-related problems.

A special four-page section in the August 2009 Harvard Health Letter focuses on the feet and their common ailments. Dr. James Ioli, chief of podiatry at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, served as guest editor.

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