High heels. Are they cramping my style?
Let’s face it; sometimes a great outfit requires some awesome shoes that may not be the best for your feet and body, but perfect for your style. However, vanity aside, our desire for style may be putting our bodies at risk for injury. Bunions, sore knees or low back? Maybe it’s time to check out how often those 4-inch heels are on your feet. Even though you may know that you are going to regret wearing those shoes tomorrow, sometimes fashion comes at a high price. Studies have shown that these shoes can be costly in more ways than one, taking their toll on your spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet, while altering your posture and gait. Take a look at this picture which sums it up at a glance the havoc these beautiful shoes wreak on our bodies!
Top 5 Conditions caused by High Heels:
1- One of the most common foot problems that we as physiotherapists see are the Dreaded Bunions. Not only can they be painful, the chronic inflammation and progressive deformity can cause all kinds of trouble higher upper in your knees, hips and back. A tight and narrow toe box from high heeled shoes, as well as the angle and pressure that the big toe must sustain, changes the normal mechanics of this joint leading to irritation and bony changes.
2- Hammer Toes are another issue. That cramped toe box and angle again is destructive to the normal mechanics of the rest of your toes and causes a curling or bending of the toes so that the joints become prominent superiorly.
3- Pump Bump – The abnormal foot position from heel wearing makes the back of the heel bone prominent, and become a source of irritation against the back of the shoe. This can lead to an altered gait due to pain and weakening of the Achilles tendon at its insertion into the heel.
4- Metatarsalgia – Wearing heels causes most of your weight to be on the ball of the foot. Those middle foot bones don’t like this and it can result in a condition called metatarsalgia. which is inflammation of the metatarsal bones/joints and pain in the ball of your foot. As heel height increases so does pressure on the ball of the boot. Some people develop thick calluses on the bottom of the foot that can also be painful. Often people with bunions and hammer toes will develop metatarsalgia from abnormal foot biomechanics. Ongoing and significant pain on the ball of the foot can cause stress fractures and ligament rupture.
5- Mechanical problems elsewhere in the body – High heels cause a shortening of your Achilles tendon which can lead to chronic tendinitis. Furthermore, the uneven load on your knee joints which can lead to early degenerative changes and osteoarthritis. High heels also cause an increase lordosis or curve in your low back which sets your lumbar spine up for injury and/or bony changes from the uneven weight distribution.
Restricting the time spent in high heels leads to happier feet. Treat your feet well; after all, they are the only pair you get!
Services Offered:
Acupuncture
Dry Needling
Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS)
Physiotherapy
Virtual Physiotherapy
Related Conditions:
Upper and Lower Back
Ankle + Foot