High Heels: Hazardous to Your Health

The idea that high heels can be hazardous to your health isn't new

The idea that high heels can be hazardous to your health isn't new – orthopedists have warned women for years that high heels can contribute to the development of a variety of conditions from corns and calluses to hammertoes, arthritis, chronic knee pain, sprained ankles and back problems.

High heels can result in a variety of foot problems, including metatarsalgia, which is pain in the ball of the foot. Another condition, called Morton's neuroma, which is 10 times more common in women than men, is caused by a thickening of tissue around a nerve between the third and fourth toes. It usually develops in response to irritation and excessive pressure such as the weight burden high heels place on the ball of the foot. It is often treated with orthotics, cortisone injections, and in stubborn cases, surgery.

Pointed toe shoes and shoes that pinch lead to other foot problems such as bunions, calluses and hammertoe.

Surprisingly, flat shoes are not the ideal for overall foot and leg health. Low heels of one-half to three-quarters of an inch are good for both the front and back of the foot. Square-toed shoes with a roomy toe box help prevent the pinching and scrunching of the foot that can lead to lots of painful problems.

Each of your feet is made up of 26 major bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles and tendons. Leonardo Da Vinci was right on when he called the human foot "a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art."

Your feet are designed to provide you with balance and strength as you walk or run over many different types of landscape. Here are some more facts about your feet:

• Your feet strike the ground an average of 1,800 times over the course of walking one mile.

• The average person walks around 5 miles per day, translating to 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.

• When you walk, your feet bear the force of one and one-half times your body weight. When you run, this force increases to three to four times your body weight.

With so much demand on your feet just to get through an average day, it doesn’t take much to realize how important it is to wear comfortable shoes. Even with the most comfortable pair of running shoes, your feet have tremendous strain on them throughout the day. Can you imagine the burden they face when your entire weight and more is crushing down on the base of your toes rather than being evenly distributed to all 26 bones of each foot?

Wearing high heels creates faulty biomechanics and unnecessary stress on your ankles, knees, pelvis, and potentially throughout your entire spine. This is because your body, from feet to head, is one long chain of gears, where the functioning of each gear depends on the functioning of every other gear. If the joints of your feet don’t work properly because of the strain of wearing high heels, you can bet that other areas of your body are forced to compensate and suffer extra wear and tear. In some cases, the compensatory changes that result from wearing heels can cause the muscles behind your neck to be stiff, putting pressure on nerves that can result in chronic headaches. As Socrates once said, "When your feet hurt, you hurt all over."

Women have approximately four times as many foot problems as men. Wearing high heels is undoubtedly a major reason for this.

Enough of the facts, let’s get to some suggestions on how to properly care for your feet:

Strive to never wear high heels.  If you just can’t imagine life without heels, I would suggest choosing styles with squared-off toes and shorter, chunkier heels instead of stilettos.

Shop for shoes in the afternoon or evening.  Feet tend to get a little bigger throughout the day because of fluid accumulation. You want your shoes to be able to comfortably house your feet when they are at their biggest.  

Measure your feet each time you buy shoes. And be sure to measure them while you are standing. Don’t forget to wear the thickest socks that you would normally wear.

Try shoes on both of your feet.  It’s not unusual for one foot to be larger than the other.

If you’re not already there, strive to be lean and mean for your body type. Being overweight means extra stress for your feet, not to mention the joints of your legs and spine. Have you ever felt the weight of a 10-pound bag of potatoes? This is the extra stress that your feet feel all day long if you are 10 pounds overweight.

Eat whole, unprocessed foods that will keep your blood vessels and circulation strong, as the health of the tissues in your feet are largely dependent on how efficiently they receive nutrients and have waste products shuttled away. The two worst foods for your circulation are hydrogenated oils and sugar. Try to stay away from them completely.

Dr. Blackmon regularly visits Claremore to provide an outpatient orthopaedic clinic. In July, he will be joined by a colleague who is based full-time in Claremore. For more information or an appointment with Dr. Blackmon in Claremore or Tulsa, call The Orthopaedic Center at (918) 582-6800.

For more information, contact

The Orthopaedic Center

(918) 582-6800

www.toctulsa.com