Health & Fitness
High Heels = High Risk
Over time wearing high heels can lead to chronic problems, not only with your feet but also elsewhere in your body.
About half of US women wear high heels and those who wear them own an average of nine pairs each.
If 71% of women surveyed by the American Podiatric Medical Association said high heels hurt their feet, why would women wear high heels and continue to wear them, even if they are in pain? Pain is indeed the price of looking good! Over time wearing high heels can lead to chronic problems, not only with your feet but also elsewhere in your body.
High Heel-Related Injuries Doubled in a Decade:
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From 2002 to 2012, more than 123,000 injuries from wearing high heels were treated in US emergency rooms. The amount of such injuries doubled from 2002 to 2012, according to the new research published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery. The majority of injuries, more than 80%, involved sprains and strains to ankles and feet. Knees, shoulders and even heads were also injured. Most of those injured were women between the ages of 20 and 29 and the injuries typically occurred while in the home. In the majority of cases, the injuries were minor. One in five resulted in a broken bone.
High Heels Change the Dynamics of Human Walking:
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Even if you manage to avoid an injury such as a sprained ankle while wearing heels, such shoes can actually change muscle activity and the dynamics of normal walking.
High heels are generally described as a heel height of two inches or higher. High heels shift your foot forward into an unnatural position, with increased weight on your balls of your feet and your toes. Your body tilts forward, so you lean backwards and overarch your back to compensate. This posture changes the normal human gait and adds tremendous strain to your hips, lower back and to your knees. The risk increased with extra weight and as the heel height increased. The extra stresses placed on your body from wearing high heels, can result in; increased the risk of compromised muscle efficiency in walking, ingrown toenails, nerve damage, bunions, plantar fasciitis, low back pain, sciatica, hip pain, irreversible damage to leg tendons and osteoarthritis.
According to the American Osteopathic Association, not only are high heels one of the major factors leading to foot problems in women, but up to one-third of wearers suffer from permanent problems due to long-their term use.