While first reported in the early 1980s, a study by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) is still cited today because it is considered one of the most comprehensive studies on how many people in the U.S. workforce experience foot and lower extremity pain or discomfort as a result of their work. According to that study, 83 percent of Americans experienced some type of work-related pain, resulting in not only discomfort and pain, but also actual orthopedic deformities.
This is believed to be a far higher percentage than would have been reported 60 or more years ago because since the early 1950s, most industrial locations have replaced hardwood floors with cement. When walking or standing on a hardwood floor, it “gives a little,” helping to soften each step and minimize discomfort; cement flooring does not “give.”