Every little girl has tossed on a pair of her mom’s high heels, doused herself in red lipstick, put on a string of pearls and topped off her ensemble with a floppy oversized hat! It is one thing to play dress up; however, it’s another thing when infants or little girls are seen wearing high heels for any period of time!
Many women are already well-aware of the damaging effects of heels on the feet. Heels themselves are a hazard for walking because they alter your center of gravity. In addition, all of your body weight which is meant to be distributed evenly across your feet is now on the ball of your foot. The ball of your foot is not designed to bear your weight and does not function well in terms of shock absorption. So the impact of the forces from the ground and the body weight from above leading to pain called metatarsalgia!
Other conditions that can occur with heels are Morton’s neuromas, corns, calluses, bunions, and hammertoes. The damaging effects of heels are not just limited to feet either! Heels affect your posture by pushing your hips and spine out of alignment! The knees are also prone to injury because heels place additional force on the inside of your knee! The calf muscles may shorten and tighten as a result of excessive contraction needed to adjust to the angle of high heels.
Many podiatrists are concerned with the advent of celebrity moms dressing their children in high heels and being seen in public. High heels are ill-advised in adults and the implications on children can be even more devastating. The bones of a child are not yet fully-formed or fully-calcified; bone formation in the foot in particular partly relies on how the forces are transmitted. The wearing of high heels alters these normal forces and can affect the normal ossification pattern of the bones! And remember, foot problems will not be the only problems that will arise from wearing high heels too early. Knee, hip and back problems can occur due to the change in the body’s center of gravity as a result of high heels. These are not problems young children should ever have! One way to AVOID these musculoskeletal problems is to delay wearing heels as long as possible! Talk to your podiatrist about the implications and possible complications of wearing high heels at any age!
101 6th Street N.W.
Winter Haven, FL 33881
Phone: 863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com
No comments:
Post a Comment