High-Heel Health
Posted on July 10, 2012
High heels used to be reserved for special occasions, but nowadays, women are wearing them even while shopping and walking to work (thanks, Carrie Bradshaw). I know, women love their high-heeled shoes, (and men love the look) but how does prolonged heel wearing affect your body?
Along with altering posture, wearing heels can impact a woman’s gait, balance, back, and hips. Common complaints resulting from wearing heels include bunions and hammertoes, and a thicker Achilles tendon. Other possible health conditions include knee osteoarthritis; Metatarsalgia, a painful foot condition; and Morton’s Neuroma, a thickening of the tissue around the nerves leading to the toes.
The higher the heel, the more pressure there is on the ball of the foot as your feet are forced into a constant plantar-flexed position (think Barbie™ feet), which can compromise stability. This, in turn, requires you to compensate by pushing your knees and hips forward, arching the back. Constant wear can also shorten your calf muscles and the changed gait remains, even when you remove your shoes and switch to flats or sneakers. This can increase the risk of potential injury.
So what’s a high-heel lover to do? Below are some suggested tips.
Pick the right shoe: Rodney Stuck, a podiatrist and professor in the orthopedic surgery department at the Loyola University Health Systems suggests that women outline their feet on inflexible cardboard and take the cut-out with them when shoe shopping. If the cardboard doesn’t fit into the shoe then your feet won’t either. (You might want to try this tip with shoes you already own!)
- Stretch: If you must wear heels every day, sit in a chair and use a yoga band to pull your toes toward you to stretch your calf muscles.
- Don’t wear your heels in from the parking lot. Just remember flats aren’t always the fix either as not all flats have enough arch support, which can lead to pain in the knees, hips and back and trigger plantar fasciitis – the medical term given to a condition that involves inflammation and pain of the plantar fascia (arch) in the foot.
- Alternate heel height daily. This will keep your tendons from getting acclimated to the same heel height and help prevent the tendon from shortening.
- Choose a chunky heel, platform or wedge. These options put less stress on the ball of the foot.
Last but not least, save your five inch heels for special occasions only.