The higher they go, the harder you fall
Current fashions have seen heels go to dizzy, even crazy new heights. The look is amazing but high heels can do some serious damage to your feet.
High-heeled shoes put intense pressure on a small area on the ball of the foot and the base of the toes – where nature never intended you to put your weight. High heels also change the angle of your stance and the way you walk, forcing your buttocks outwards, making you sway your hips and curve your spine more than normal.
This may look sensational on the catwalk and be a head-tuner in the street, but the upshot is that walking in high-heeled shoes can cause unsightly bunions, toe deformities, lower back pain, ankle strain and degeneration of your knee joints.
In fact, bunions can get so bad that you may require corrective surgery. If you think that’s an exaggeration, just ask Victoria Beckham, who’s said to be having an operation to remove bunions caused by years of wearing towering heels.
Going barefoot, on the other hand, and you adopt a heel-toe step that allows the calf and thigh muscles to alternately contract and stretch. In high heels, the knee, hip and lower back muscles remain slightly flexed, which can lead to stiffness and pain.
Knees
Studies have found that the knee must absorb 23 per cent more force of impact when walking in high-heeled shoes than when walking barefoot. This can result in degeneration of the joint. Studies are still underway to determine whether high heels contribute to osteoarthritis of the knee and hip joints.
Feet
Even a modestly high heel moves the pressure that should be spread evenly across the sole of your foot to a small area on the ball of your foot, creating three to six times more stress on the front of the foot than a flat shoe would. This constant pressure and constriction can cause hammer toes (in which the toe becomes permanently bent), painful corns (thickened skin on the “knuckles” of the toes) and bunions (painful bony growths at the base of the big toe).
What to do?
There is no need to throw away all your high-heeled shoes in a bid to save your feet. You simply need to choose your shoes carefully and alternate between flats and high heels. Wedges and Platform soles may be a good alternative to stiletto heels. Right now there are plenty of awesome styles to choose from.
When choosing shoes, look for:
• Quality. If you’re going for high, choose a good name in shoes because chances are the shoe would’ve been designed ergonomically and so be more comfortable to wear
• Natural materials like leather, suede and rubber that fit the foot better than man-made materials
• A wide toe box. Forget pointed toes – they will only cramp your toes and cause long-term damage
• Arch support. Make sure the shoe fits snugly under the arch of your instep. If you have trouble finding shoes that do so, consult a podiatrist about having sole inserts made to support your feet
• Try both shoes on and walk around the shop to assure yourself that they don’t chafe, slip or pinch your feet
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