Women love wearing high heels whether its to make them taller, feel more confident or because they complete their outfit. But what they also need to think about is the long term effects, of wearing high heels everyday and how they can cause serious problems to your feet.
Wearing heels puts a lot of pressure on the balls of the foot, which results in a change in weight distribution throughout the body. This causes the knees, hips and spine to alter its natural alignment to counterbalance this forward shift in weight.
You may not think about it, but there are fat pads on the balls of your feet that act as a cushion. Wearing heels on a regular basis can cause this cushion to wear away and become thinner, making it difficult to walk and causing long term pain on the joints of the toes (metatarsalgia). Apart from the common issues such as bunions, hammer toe and general aches on the balls of the foot, there are many other more severe long term injuries as a result of wearing heels all the time. Due to the foot being elevated, ankles and tendons can become strained, for example the Achilles’ tendon, at the heel of your foot, shortens over time and becomes tight. As time goes on you might find it painful to wear flat shoes as the tendon is being stretched back to it’s normal length.
Keeping your heels, health and standards high.
Some tips on how to minimise the risk of developing these injuries:
- Massage and stretch your calf muscles at the end of the day or when you are not wearing heels.
- Try and wear a thicker heel and avoid thin stilettos as much as you can.
- Make sure you vary your heel height throughout the week.
- If you want to use insoles they are also helpful but only work as a short-term pain relief.
We’re not saying stop wearing heels forever but try and make a conscious effort to ensure you wear heels in a healthy manner.
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