High heel are not all that good after all
ANI | May 23, 2011, 01.10pm IST

A study has revealed that wearing high heel shoes with small toe box can lead to various foot problems.

According to a recent study, 39 per cent of women said that they wear high heels every day, and 75 per cent of those women say that they experience regular shoe-related foot pain and suffer from bunions, arthritic big toes, calluses, hammertoes, and plantar warts.

"Many women wear shoes to work every day that look great but they are simply too small," said Dr. Pedro Cosculluela, an orthopedic surgeon with The Methodist Hospital in Houston.

"The biggest problems we encounter are related to the height of the heel and/or the narrowness of the toe box," he added.

The narrow toe box makes it hard for many women to properly fit their entire foot into the shoe. This poor fit can lead to toe deformities in many women. These include bunions, hammertoes, and calluses.

"As the deformity worsens, the big toe loses its ability to properly carry the load, which can lead to increase pressure along two through five. This can, in turn, lead to pain and cause hammertoes and cross-over toe deformities," said Cosculluela.

"This, and other foot problems women experience because of poor shoe wear, do not happen overnight. It's a gradual process that can happen over a period of years," added Cosculluela.
Cosculluela adds that the frequent use of high heels is associated with the development of tight calf muscles. This can lead other painful foot problems such as plantar fasciitis, flat feet and Achilles tendonitis.

MY THOUGHTS

I've given them up - those high heels that put too much pressure on my feet and my legs. 

Beautiful Shoes and Tendonitis

How to avoid tendonitis wearing heels all the time

Ladies, if you are like me you spend at least some part of your day wearing high heels you know that it can take a toll on your legs and feet. For some of us this length of time could be up to 8 hours a day. Not to mention, (especially if you are in the city) you are walking a few of those hours in them every day as well.

With the new trend of super tall heels (many of mine are at least 4 inches tall), we have to be careful that we minimize the damage these trendy shoes do to our body.
High-heels can dramatically effect your achilles tendon. Your achilles tendon is the tendon that connects your calf muscle to your heel bone (if any of you have ever pulled this you know that it is extremely painful).

Wearing high heels does wonders for your calf muscles, as it shortens the muscle creating a nice look. This action pulls the achilles tendon, which pulls your heel up into that beautiful shoe. This shortening of the tendon can eventually cause you problems. It may tighten up causing you to feel pain or "tightness" in the back of your heel/below your calf. You may especially notice it when you switch from wearing high heels to gym shoes.

To keep your achilles healthy and avoid tendonitis here are some tips:

1) STRETCH
1) Find a stair case (while holding on to a railing) place the ball of your foot at the edge of the stair so your heel is hanging off the edge. Slowly drop your heel until you feel a nice stretch in the back of your foot/calf.

2) Face a wall and place your hands against it as if you were going to do a push up against it. Place one foot flat on the ground about a foot behind your other one. Bend both your knees and lean into the wall by bending your arms. You should feel a stretch in your back foot.

2) ICE
1) If you are having consistent pain in your achilles ice it. Especially after any strenuous activity. Ice the back of your ankle(between your calf and heel) for about 15 minutes. After removing the ice grab a towel. Sit with your legs straight out in front of you. Grab the towel and wrap it around the ball of your foot holding the two ends with your hands. Slowly pull on the towel until you feel a small stretch in the back of your heel.

3) SWITCH UP YOUR SHOES
1) Switch up your shoes. Take a break from those heels and wear your gym shoes every once in a while.

Now get out there and enjoy those beautiful shoes or those comfy gym shoes.

Have a fun and fit day, Chicago.

Ladies let me know what stress you put on your body to look great?


My Comments:

Yes! I am like the author. I love beautiful shoes - to the point of hurting my legs and my feet. After a day of walking in those beautiful shoes, you come home and find that you cannot even walk. YOu kick off those beautiful shoes and you ask yourself are the beautiful shoes worth all these pain?