HIgh Heels

High Heels

Did you know the average woman will wear high heels for 51 years of her life? It’s no wonder that foot problems will develop! Just what features of high heels make them so bad for your feet? It is not the color or the material of high heels that are leading to the foot problems! Rather, all the problems that stem from high heels center on their incompatibility with human anatomy!

Stress 1: The angled nature of a high heel means that your forefoot becomes the focus of pressure when walking, climbing stairs, jumping, or running! The excess force on a particular section of your foot can lead to stress fractures which are small breaks in your bones that can lead to pain and swelling!

 

Stress 2: When you slip on high heels you are actually elevating your foot which drastically off-balances the forces that act upon your feet. By altering the force that acts upon your big toe, you might destabilize that joint and it could lead to the formation of a bunion. That bunion can lead to discomfort and swelling which can then push the other toes out of line!

Stress 3: Wearing high heels means that your foot is slanted instead of parallel to the ground and now gravity has more of a reason to pull you down! If you have worn high heels you know that your foot slides forward into the shoe due to the gravity and this phenomenon leads to a shift in your weight. The sliding motion results in friction and in an effort to protect itself, your foot will develop thickened areas of skin called corns (top of your foot) and calluses (bottom of your foot). 

Stress 4: The sliding action of your foot in a high heel forces your toes into the narrow portion of the shoe. Over time, your toes will start to deform by curling at their middle joint in order to accommodate in the cramped space. The bending at the middle joint of your toes leads tohammertoe formation and leads to the increased incidence of corns and calluses. Your joints could even dislocate and may require surgical correction!

            Ladies, think about how a high heel looks and how your feet feel in them while reading this and it might help you fathom all the different stresses you are subjecting your feet to!  

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.flfootandankle.com