Think Before You Slip on Heels

High heels are the ticket to instant transformation for most women. Slipping on a pair of heels is like a fashion statement, which transforms the mundane into magical with never-ending legs, shapely derrieres and swaying legs. No wonder, women swear by these when they want to look and feel the best, never mind the agony their foot withstands. My Health Guardian  writes….

First, a little history, as far back as 1000 BC, women have been wearing high heels to convey social status and sex appeal. The earliest precursors of stilettos were discovered in the tombs of ancient Egypt, and many a French belle wore them under her hoop skirt in the royal courts of the 1600s. In the 1700s, European ladies teetered on heels five inches and higher, using stylish canes to prevent them from toppling over.
In the 19th century, high heels enjoyed widespread popularity until the newly liberated 20th-century women demanded more comfortable, flat-soled shoes. Then, in the roaring 20s, hemlines rose and heel lengths soared to new heights along with them.

Today, high heels are still alive and kicking. Just glance through the glossy pages of any fashion magazine, and you’ll find giraffe-limbed Prada models lengthening their legs anywhere from one to eight inches with stylish footwear. Sure, they look great. Walking in heels causes the back to arch and the chest to thrust forward, giving women that sexy come-hither stance. But in the long run, high heels could leave you without a healthy leg to stand on.

Backs Out of Whack

While wearing those vertigo-inducing heels and feeling on the top of the world, did you spare a thought for your feet. Your feet actually don’t feel so great while trapped in heels. High heels are one of the biggest factors leading to foot problems in women. According to experts, high heels affect the back. The higher the heel, the worse is the problem.

Dr.Sarabjeet. S.Sachdeva, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital says, “ Wearing high heels invite many problems to your health. Besides relentless forefoot pain, there is an increased predisposition to recurrent ankle sprains and sometimes if injury is severe, one can land up with fractured ankle.” High heels may make your legs look longer but as the heel height goes up the pressure on your forefoot also increases—

• 3-inch heel increases the pressure on your forefoot by 76%
• 2- inch heel increases the pressure on your forefoot by 57%

Dr Pratip Mandal, consultant othopaedic and sports injury specialist with Moolchand Medcity informs, “ Shoe heels lift the heel of the foot 1 to 3 inches above the ground. As a result the normal angle that the foot makes with the ground is changed. This in turn causes loosening of the calf muscles and brings into work other muscles of the legs, thigh, lower and upper back to allow walking.”

Walking in 2- inch-heel increases strain on the parts of the knee that are most vulnerable to osteoarthritis. The altered posture of walking in high heels places excess force on the inside of the knee—a common site of osteoarthritis among women. A study says that knee joint pressure increases as much as 26% when a woman wears heels.

Select your shoes
Choose sensible heels. Select shoes with low heels, an inch and a half or less and a wide heel base.

Chunky heels are much more stable than stilettos. Try to wear a wider, more supportive heel or even convert to platforms!
Compare the width of the shoe with the width of your foot. Avoid shoes that are too narrow for your feet, no matter how much you like them.
Try on both shoes before buying. Make sure you have at least a finger’s width between your longest toe and the end of your shoe.
Shoes should feel comfortable right away. Don’t buy a pair that you think will fit well after you’ve worn them for a while.
Pay attention to materials and style. Select materials that breathe and allow flexibility, such as leather or nylon mesh.

If only heels will do
Dr Mandal further says, “If one wears heels for walking more attractively, more than 1-inch would not be recommended. The heel pad should be soft and well padded.” Moreover, driving in heels can turn fatal, if the heel gets tangled in the pedals of the car. Brooke Shields was lucky, as she drove into an outdoor beam of her house when her heels got wedged with accelerator, thereby damaging only the property.

Hanging heels for good is not a viable option for most of us. But we can keep alternating our footwear so that our feet get the time to rest as well.

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