| Views |
61162  |
|
Women know high heels aren't good for their feet, and they don't deny that
they're uncomfortable. But the fact is, women would continue to wear high heels,
even though they did not think them comfortable. Mark it up to the price of
beauty.
Feet aren't made for heels
Despite what you're willing to tolerate as a lover of heels, you may be
underestimating the damage that high heels can cause, beyond just having sore
feet at the end of the day.
Not surprisingly, doctors of podiatric medicine (foot doctors) and orthopaedic
surgeons see no value in high heels, which they generally define as pumps with
heels of more than two inches.
You know those lovely curves you get with high heels? "It's not a normal
anatomical position," says Teisha Chiarelli, a podiatrist in Glendale, Ariz.
Physicians say high heels are "biomechanically and orthopedically unsound,"
citing medical, postural and safety faults of such heels, according to the
American Podiatric Medical Association. Among the litany of problems to which
stilettos and their sister heels contribute are knee and back problems,
disabling injuries in falls and shortened calf muscles, not to mention an
awkward, unnatural gait.
Uncovering women's footwear problems
While most high-heel fans aren't so willing to totally abandon their high pumps,
studies indicates that many might be willing to make some adjustments - to a
point.
A study by the American Podiatric Medical Association, 39 percent of women still
wear high heels daily. This is down from the 60 percent who wore high heels back
in 1986. This same study showed that 42 percent of women would wear
uncomfortable shoes and that 73 percent had shoe-related foot problems.
Common ailments from wearing high heels are:
* Calluses and heel pain were the top shoe-related foot ailments.
* Women also complain about such conditions as bunions, swelling of the joint at
the base of the big toe; hammertoes, a permanent bend in the middle joint of a
toe; neuromas, nerve problems that cause shooting pain into the toes; ingrown
toenails; and even stress fractures.
Chiarelli says high heels are a particular cause of concern.
"I've got elderly women come in who swear they've worn high heel shoes all their
lives and say they can't wear a flat shoe. They get a physiologically shorter
Achilles tendon. Over a period of time, we accommodate that position," she says.
Typically, Chiarelli says feet swell throughout the day and poorly fitting shoes
won't accommodate that swelling. Sometimes the pain is achy, "almost a bone
bruising," she says, or a sharp pain between the bones in the ball of the foot.
"We're looking at bony problems where the toes are starting to curl up from
being in a narrow or pointed toe box," she says. "Probably the patient with the
ugliest feet is a dancer because she's wearing toe shoes or high heels for
dancing."
"Bony problems" are such a big part of foot problems that podiatrists even have
a high-heel nickname for one condition - a pump bump. "It's a big old bump on
the back of your heel," Chiarelli says. "It's like a callus of bone on the back
of the heel from the shoe rubbing the bone."
Nail problems also are common from the constant pressure of toes being pressed
against the end of the shoe. That can cause the nail to thicken and promote the
growth of foul-smelling fungus. Plus, if a person has curved toenails, it can
induce or exacerbate painful in-grown nails.
Changing your heel habits
If you just can't imagine life without heels, Chiarelli suggests choosing styles
with squared-off toes and shorter, chunkier heels instead of stilettos. Limit
the time you wear heels.
If a wide-heeled shoe isn't you anyway, then follow some of Chiarelli's other
tips for female shoe shoppers:
* Look for thicker soles for absorbing shock better and putting less pressure on
the foot as well as an upper material, such as leather or microfiber, that will
give a little to allow the foot to swell without pinching. "Those will still
look nice and not hurt so badly," she says.
* If you simply must wear high heels, then limit the time you wear them.
Alternate between high heel and low heel shoes to prevent the Achilles tendon
from tightening. Wearing flatter shoes or tennis shoes for walking long
distances, such as to and from the office and then changing into your heels once
you get to work.
* Shop for shoes at the end of the day to accommodate the foot's normal
swelling.
* Give your feet a nice massage or soak them in lukewarm water at the end of the
day. "If your foot has been put in that funny position all day, it feels like
it's stuck that way," Chiarelli says. "Treat yourself."
If you want to want to be good to your feet, then consider following the
American Podiatric Medical Association's recommendation on "perhaps the best
shoe you can buy from an orthopedic point of view" - a walking shoe with ties
(not a slip-on), a Vibram-type composition sole and a relatively wider heel, no
more than a half or three-quarters of an inch in height.
Dull, yes, but safe.
Users' Comments (1) 
|
|
|
Informative Zone