Shoes protect the feet and provide support while walking, but society has made them much more. The towering stilettos ever so popular now are an important fashion statement that accent clothes and make women’s’ legs seem longer. Unfortunately, some shoe styles are murder on our feet, and send their willing victims limping to the doctor with foot problems.
The Trouble With High Heels
The problem with heels? The ideal shoe fits properly, bends at the toe box without being too flexible, supports our arches, and allows our feet to assume a ‘normal’ gait. High heels do none of these things – especially when you’re talking about stilettos, commonly defined as skinny heels over 3 or 4 inches in height.
Pretty as they are, this style of shoe puts the body weight on the toes, which makes you tilt forward and overarch your back to compensate and keep your balance. This movement puts your body out of alignment and puts a strain on your back, hips, knees, ankles, and feet.
- That sexy strut some women enjoy when they walk in stilettos has its price. What seems like increased pelvic range can lead to muscle fatigue that results in lower back pain that increases with age.
- Wearing high heels also causes you to unevenly distribute weight on your knees, which triggers knee pain and worsens arthritis.
- The angle of the shoe can cause your Achilles tendon to contract, strain your plantar fascia, and inflame the tissues in your foot.
- When extremely pointed, the shoes squeeze your toes together, causing nerve pain, blisters, bunions, hammertoes, and bruises under the toenails.
- Any high heel poses its risk, but extra high stilettos stress the bones of the foot to the point where the bones or the nerves in the foot can become inflamed. Adding gel pads might offer temporary relief to the balls of the feet, but does not reduce the risk of long-term damage.
- When heels are not only high but also extremely thin, you are at risk for twisted and sprained ankles.
Preventing Problems With Stilettos And Other Heels
Keep these tips in mind to minimize injury:
- Avoid extremely high stilettos, but if you must wear them, do so occasionally and for short durations.
- Vary the heel heights of the shoes you wear. Lower shoes with good support make it easier to walk normally. Some of the foot problems that can result from wearing heels occur from repeatedly wearing them. If you mix up the shoes you wear, you may be less likely to damage your feet.
- Love pointy toe shoes? Select styles made of softer material, where the shoe comes to a point beyond your toes.
- Aim for chunkier heels or wedges which distribute the weight better.
- If your feet hurt, change your shoes. This makes sense not only when you’re wearing stilettos. If you find yourself developing bunions, heel bumps, or toe deformities from wearing any shoes, consider changing your shoe wardrobe.