In reference to foot anatomy, how many total bones are there in the foot?

The human foot consists of a total of 26 bones. This includes the following categories of bones: 7 tarsal bones, 5 metatarsal bones, and 14 phalanges. The tarsal bones comprise the talus, calcaneus, navicular, cuboid, and three cuneiform bones. The metatarsals are the long bones in the middle of the foot, while the phalanges are the toe bones, with each toe typically having three phalanges (except for the big toe, which has two). Understanding the structure of the foot, including the precise number of bones, is crucial for roles related to foot health, such as therapeutic shoe fitting, as it allows professionals to better understand how to address various foot-related issues, select appropriate footwear, and create orthotic devices that meet patients' specific needs.