Sole (foot)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sole (foot) | |
|---|---|
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| Soles (Male & Female) | |
| Latin | planta |
| Artery | medial plantar, lateral plantar |
| Nerve | medial plantar, lateral plantar |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | p_22/12644411 |
The sole is the bottom of the human foot.
Contents |
[edit] Description
In anatomy, the sole of the foot is referred to as the plantar aspect.
The sole of the foot is one of the two areas of the human body which grow no vellus hair. A set of creases, formed in the womb, criss-cross the sole. The sole contains significantly less pigment than the skin of the rest of the body. This applies to human beings of all skin color.
The soles of the feet contain the thickest layers of skin on the human body due to the weight that is continually placed on them.
The soles of the feet house a denser population of sweat pores than most other regions of skin.
[edit] Arches
The sole of the adult foot is normally marked by an arch in its inner midsection, but feet occasionally do not develop an arch, which is termed flat-footedness. This condition sometimes develops during the person's lifetime, due to old age or pregnancy. It rarely calls for treatment.
[edit] Sensitivity of the sole
Although the opposite is in fact true, many incorrectly attribute the sensitivity to touch of the sole of the foot to thinness of the skin. However, this sensitivity is in fact due to the soles of the feet containing a very substantial concentration of nerve endings. This make bare soles very responsive to stimulation, although the precise sensitivity of the soles varies from individual to individual.
This sensitivity results in the soles of the feet being seen by some as an erogenous zone.[1] For some people with very sensitive soles, however, the same stimulation might trigger a ticklish response.
Conversely, sensitivity of the soles makes them especially tender to bruising and a prime nexus for torture, the most notorious of which is Falaka. Likewise, medical induction of the plantar reflex can be slightly unpleasant for some.
[edit] The sole of the foot in culture
In many cultures, most significantly in the Middle East, the sole of the foot is considered unclean and it is accordingly very bad manners, or even purposefully insulting, to prominently display the soles of the bare feet. In other cultures, such as in the West, the sensitivity and vulnerability of bare soles makes their appearance a subject of humor, or even of desire, particularly the soles of the feet of women.[2]
[edit] Notes
| General anatomy of lower limbs |
|---|
| Buttocks and Thigh:
Inguinal ligament - Obturator membrane - Femoral ring - Femoral canal - Femoral sheath - Femoral triangle - Adductor canal - Adductor hiatus - Fascia lata - Saphenous opening - Iliotibial tract - Fascial compartments of thigh (Anterior, Medial, Posterior) Cnemis (anatomic leg): Popliteal fossa - Calf – Shin - Pes anserinus - Fascial compartments of leg (Anterior, Lateral, Posterior) Foot: Heel – Plantar fascia - Toe (Hallux, Fifth toe) - Sole - Achilles tendon - Tarsal tunnel - Retinacula (Peroneal, Inferior extensor, Superior extensor) |
