Fashion at a high price.
Wearing high heels can be fashionable and may make you feel taller,but at what price?
High heels can cause foot problems while exacerbating foot problems that you already have.Leg and back pain a´re also common complaints from those who wear high heels.
Posture.
A high heel shoe puts your foot in a plantarflexed (foot pointed downward) position,placing an increased ammount of pressure on your forefoot.
This causes you to adjust the rest of your body to maintain your balance.
The lower part of your body leans forward and to compensate for that,the upper part of your body must lean back to keep your balanced.This is not your body´s normal standing position.
Gait.
When walking,your foot is in a more plantarflexed position,therefore you are not able to push off the ground with as much force.
This causes your hip flexor muscles in your legs to work harder to move and pull your body forward.
Your knees also stay more bent and forward,causing your knee muscles work harder.
Balance.
Walking in high heel shoes is like walking on a balance beam.It takes a lot of balance and just like teetering on a beam,there is not any support in a high heel shoe to catch up you if you fall.
This position puts you at risk for losing your balance and spraining your ankles.
Back.
The normal s-curve shape of the back acts as a shock absorber,reducing reduce stress on the vertebrae.
Wearing high heel shoes causes lumbar (low-back) spine flattering and a posterior (backward) displacement of the head and thoracic (mid-back) spine.
High heel shoes cause you to lean forward and the body´s response to that is to decrease the forward curve of your lower back to help keep you in line.
Poor alignment may lead to muscle overuse and back pain.
Hips.
The hip flexor muscles are located on the upper front part of your tights.They are forced to work much harder and longer to help you walk beacuse your feet are held in a downward position and have reduced power to move your body forward.
If your hip flexor muscles are chronically overused,the muscles can shorten and a contracture can occur.If a contracture occurs,this could lead to flattering of the lumbar spine.
Knees.
Knees osteoarthritis is twice as common in women.Some of that blame may be due to high heels.
The knees stays flexed and the tibia (shin bone) turns inward when wearing high heels.This position puts a compressive force on the inside of the knee,a common site of osteoarthritis.
If you already have osteoarthritis,it is best to avoid wearing high heel shoes.High heel shoes increase the distance from the floor to the knee and can result in increased knee torque which can also lead to osteoarthritis.
Ankles.
High heels limit the motion and power of the ankle joint.The calf muscles are shortened beacuse of the heel high.
The position of the ankle may also cause a shortening (contraction) of the achilles tendon.This can increase the pull of the achilles tendon where it attachs on the back of your heel bone and may cause a condition called insertional achilles tendonitis.
Feet.
With the foot in a downward position,there is significant increase in the pressure on the bottom of the forefoot.The pressure increases as the height of the shoe heel increases.
The increased pressure may lead to pain or foot deformities such as hammer toes,bunions,buionettes and neuromas.
Skin and toes.
The narrow pointed toe box that is often found in high heel shoes also causes damage such as corns,callouses and blisters.
If you look at a baby or toddler´s foot,you will see that their toes are spread apart.If you look at an adults foot,their toes are usually squished together.
Save your feet.
If your car tires out of alignment,you can only drive so many miles before you are risk of blowing a tire.
The same true for your body.Things need to be in alignment.
It is recommended that you only wear high heels for special occasions and even then only a heel hight of 1 1/2 inches.
Your feet and body will thank you – and you´ll save money on trips to the podiatrist´s office.