High-heeled shoes are a popular fashion choice that is designed to point the foot down to give your leg an attractive look. Wearing high heels has many detrimental effects on human health. It causes pain, deformities, and different serious problems with your feet, lower back, knees, and legs. Wearing high heels for a long period exert pressure and stress on various parts of the body.
When you wear high heels,
They crowd the toes.
Force the body’s weight onto the ball of the foot. This may cause pain while walking.
High heels push the body's center of gravity and distrust the body’s alignment.
Posture and high heels
High heels push the center of the mass in the body forward, taking the hips and spine out of alignment.
Heels mimic the way a person walks in a ramp, increasing the pressure on balls of the feet through a downward pressure.
Weight pressure
A heel’s height determines the weight carried by the footwear. as the heel gets higher, the pressure increases on the forefoot.
3 inch Heels – 76%
2 inch Heels- 57%
1 inch Heels- 22%
How high heels affect your body parts
Feet
Hallux valgus
The big toe deviates towards the other toes in this condition.
Corns and Calluses
Corns and Calluses can be seen especially under the ball of the foot and then on the top of the toes. Corns form from repeated pressure on the skin. Women with foot deformities suffer from corns as the top of the bent toes rub against the top or sides of shoes.
Metatarsalgia
High heels push your body weight onto the ball of your foot. Prolonged wearing can lead to Metatarsalgia joint pain in the ball of the foot.
Plantar fasciitis
The pain directly under the heel is called plantar fascitis.
Hammertoes
Crowd the toes together can contribute to hammertoes. The second, third, fourth, or fifth toes become bent. When the condition becomes severe it may require surgery to relieve pain.
Haglund’s deformity or “Pump Bump”
A pump Bump is a bony protrusion on the back of the heel. Common in women who wear high heels for a prolonged period. It can lead to blisters, bursitis, or Achilles tendonitis.
Neuromas
Neuromas are a painful condition that is developed due to pointed toe and high-heeled shoes. Nerves in the foot can compress and swell especially between 3 rd. and 4 th toes. Common symptoms are tingling, burning, numbness and pain.
Ankles
Ankle sprain
Wearing high heels increases the instability of the ankle and risk for an ankle sprain. Sprains occur when ligaments are stretched or torn.
Knees
Wearing high heels produces much more pressure and load in the inside edge of the knee.
The medial compartment of the knee is the most common place for knee arthritis.
Legs
The leg muscles are more active in walking in high heels. The muscles at the back of the leg tend to shorten and tighten. It can become uncomfortable to wear flat shoes as a result of your calf muscles adjusting to the height of the heel.
High heels create a reduction in the efficiency of the calf muscle pump which leads the legs and ankles to swell.
Lower back
Lumbar lordosis increases with high-heeled shoes. There is a lot of evidence for an increase in muscle activity in the lower back.
High heels push the lower back forward by affecting the alignment of the ankles, knees, hips, and lower back. Poor alignment may lead to muscle overuse and back pain.
Injuries related to wearing high heels
In high heels, the foot is pointed down, which makes it easy to sprain or turn the ankle. Wearing high heels affects your center of mass by taking the balance point of your body to a higher level. The wearer must lean backward and use lower leg muscle power to maintain balance. Wearing a high heel has a higher risk of losing balance.
A sprain in the foot or the ankle is the most common injury. Some cases may be serious, requiring surgery.
Recommendations for wearing high heels
Some common injuries and pains associated with wearing high heels may be prevented by the following steps.
Avoid wearing high heels for a long period.
Avoid shoes with pointed toes.
Wear a lower height heel less than two inches.
Wear a heel with a wider sole.
Stretch leg muscles before and after putting them.
Recognized foot pain as warning signs.
Treatments for foot problems related to wearing high heels
Foot pain is a common problem related to wearing high heels, one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions that are treated by a physical therapist.
Changes in shoe wear
Padding
Orthotics
Pain medication
Nethmi Rashmika
References
https://www.foothealthfacts.org/privacy
https://www.thespinehealthinstitute.com/news-room/health-blog/how-high-heels-affect-your-body
https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/high-heels/
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