Unhealthy Heels

In the name of fashion we’ve all crammed our feet into tight fitting; stiff shoes at one point, or subjected them to the unnatural angles of stiletto high heels.

Walking from meeting to meeting and standing in them all day, do your shoes leave you wincing in pain? Podiatrist, and owner of City Feet Clinic, Kate McArthur-Jones shares the most common foot problems which can all be easily avoided and simply treated.

Aching on the balls of your feet
Wearing high-heels raise your heel and cause your center of gravity to be pushed forward, shifting your body weight onto the balls of your feet. In fact, 75% of your body’s weight is applied to the balls of your feet when wearing heels. Inserting cushioning (there are several commercially produced options available) will help ease the pain and give your shoe a bit of extra padding for those occasions where high heels are a must!

Lower back pain
After spending a day walking around in heels most people feel a bit of pain in their lower back, this is caused by the way the high-heels place the foot. High heels put feet into an unnatural position, affecting both the foot and your posture. Taking shorter strides will reduce the load on the hip flexors and reduce any lower back pain.

Tight around the toes
It’s quite self-evident cramming your toes into a narrow toe box, or ignoring the pain can also cause damage to nerves, toes and toe nails, it can even cause bunions. The problem of too-tight-shoes actually has a very simple solution; many shoe repairers can stretch leather shoes by up to half a size.
Another issue of having a reduced internal space at the front of your shoes is that you can cause swollen joints or pesky nodules to develop on your toes. These nodules are the result of pressure points caused by ill-fitting shoes. A number of solutions exist including commercially available heel grips to help keep the shoe secure to the foot. Cushioning shoe products will also assist pushing the toes forward and keep them from holding onto your shoes.

Stretched Achilles Tendons
Your Achilles tendon run up the back of your leg from the heel and is easily injured from prolonged high-heel wearing. The tendon is designed to be flexible, it’s meant to move easily when the foot moves around. But prolonged high-heel wearing can shorten the tendon because the tendon is tightened as the heel is constantly pointed upwards. To avoid serious damage to the Achilles tendon you should avoid wearing heels for long periods, and also avoid wearing them on consecutive days.

The good news is you don’t have to give up high heels for good, but to avoid any long term damage here are Kate’s five top remedies:

• Next time you’re out shoe shopping make a few sensible decisions – try and select shoes with low heels and a wide heel base, or even better, a slightly thicker heel. Narrow, stiletto-type heels provide little support for your feet.
• Make sure your shoes fit properly. You don’t want to buy shoes were your feet are sliding around.
• Try and wear heels on the days you know you don’t have as much walking or standing to do.
• Wear soft insoles to reduce impact and push feet away from the toe box.
• Alternate your shoes, wear heels one day, a wedge the next and then some flats to give your feet a rest.

Sourced from OH! Magazine.