Foot-Binding Custom Has Caused Disabilities in Chinese Women - The ancient Chinese custom of foot binding has caused severe life-long disability for many millions of elderly women, even in today's China.

The study shows that women in the 80 and older group with bound feet were more likely to have fallen during the previous year than women with normal feet (38 percent vs. 19 percent) and were less able to rise from a chair without assistance (43 percent vs. 26 percent).

"We also found that women with deformed feet were far less able to squat, an ability that is particularly important to toileting and other daily activities in China," Cummings says.

In addition, the study found that women with bound feet had 5.1 percent lower hip bone density and 4.7 percent lower spine bone density than women with normal feet, putting them at greater risk of suffering hip or spine fractures.

"Despite the difficulties we observed, women with bound feet did not have greater difficulty preparing meals, walking or climbing steps," Cummings says, adding that these women may have accommodated to their impairments or may be reluctant to complain.

"The high prevalence of bound feet might surprise some foreigners who have visited China, since women with bound feet are not seen very often on city streets," Cummings says. "However, these women tend to stay indoors and in residential areas not commonly visited by tourists."

The practice of foot binding began in the Sung dynasty (960-976 BC), reportedly to imitate an imperial concubine who was required to dance with her feet bound. By the 12th century, the practice was widespread and more severe--girls' feet were bound so tightly and early in life that they were unable to dance and had difficulty walking.

By the time a girl turned three years old, all her toes but the first were broken, and her feet were bound tightly with cloth strips to keep her feet from growing larger than 10 cm., about 3.9 inches. The practice would cause the soles of feet to bend in extreme concavity.

Foot binding ceased in the 20th century with the end of imperial dynasties and increasing influence of western fashion, according to the UCSF study. "As the practice waned, some girls' feet were released after initial binding, leaving less severe deformities," Cummings says. "However, the deformities of foot binding linger on as a common cause of disability in elderly Chinese women."

Illustration shows the foot-binding process: foot bones were fractured and the foot bound tightly for several years, foreshortening the foot and exaggerating the arch. The drawing is adapted from Chinese texts.

Until 1949, the ideal length for women's feet as long as this bar above.

Here is a sample of the type of shoes they wore.

The 'ideal' length of a perfect foot, called the "Golden Lotus", was three inches long. This was a rare occurrence, this 3 inch perfection, but it was something to strive for nonetheless. Perfect feet were seen as a type of dowry to sweeten the pot when trying to marry off your daughter to someone with Standing. If your feet ended up over four inches long you could pretty much forget them bringing you any extra leverage when marriage offers came around - they were considered too large, and ruined; all the work done to mutilate them had been a "waste" of time.