High heels wearers sacrifice health for looks

With the Spring Fashion shows upon us high heels are in vogue once more and the Australian Podiatry Association warns that wearers could be neglecting their future health for a brief period of glamour.

“The wearing of high heels is contrary to the comment made by Leonardo Da Vinci…. The foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art,” said Podiatry President, Matt Dilnot. “Why change nature? If women must wear high heels podiatrists suggest they should be worn in short stints. In addition, we have already seen in the fashion columns illustrations showing shoes with heels as high as eight centimeters. Such are an incredible health problem and we say, please do not be influenced by, or accept the behaviour and attitudes of society, purely to look good, in the short-term.”

“High heels change a person’s height to width ratio, thus creating an illusion of slimness and also making calf muscles appear more shapely. This increases the curvature of the spine showing changes in posture and the hips sway.  Accepted, high heels have been around since the 16^th century but today’s common sense and medical approach says limit their use, don’t be a conformist to fashion. If you do, the consequences of long-term wear could possibly bring a lifetime of problems.”

A typical Spring fashion day outing could result in a female taking some 5000 to 7000 steps, standing over long periods on uneven and possibly unstable surfaces and absorbing, even through the wearing of wedge heeled shoes, considerable pressure and weight to her feet. That pressure and weight increases considerable with the wearing of high heels.

Walking in high heels puts approximately two tonnes of force on the ball of the foot and heel with every step, instead of an even distribution across the foot. In addition the compression force on the knee joints when wearing high heels increases by 23 percent over being in bare feet.

The health risks of high heels include:

Back problems from change in posture. High heels cause the pelvis to tilt forward and the back to arch to compensate for extra height.

Osteo-arthritis (degeneration of the bone) in the ball of the foot.

Extensive strain on the knee joints. Damage to ankle joints from the instability of high heels.

Compression of discs in the spine and potential spinal damage, especially if there are already spinal problems.

Bunions, ingrowing toenails, thickened nails and muscle fatigue caused through maintaining

balance.

“When appropriate, comfortable and well-fitting shoes become the accepted thing in society, and to a degree, fashion is ignored, I firmly believe we will see a general increase in women’s health,” Mr Dilnot said. “Unfortunately, this Spring’s fashion and appearances show a disregard for the long and short-term consequences.”

“If women want the height this Spring, I would suggest that they seriously consider purchasing a “wedge” heeled shoe, but remembering that anything beyond say, two and half centimeters in height can cause problems.”