Here at PHYSIO4ALL we treat a large number of patients who wear high heels, and most do not realise the effect they have on our bodies. We would like to inform you about the impact of wearing high heels so you can make your own choice in wearing them.

High Heels & The Foot:

• Tight fitting heels can cause a painful bony growth at the base of the big toe, forcing the big toe to angle closer to the other toes ie. creating a bunion
• The narrow toe box in high heels can lead to a thickening of the nerves in the foot which can lead to pain and numbness in the toes, commonly Morton’s neuroma.
• The narrow toe box can also push the smaller toes into a bent position leading to hammer toes even when the individual is not wearing heels
• High heels also put a lot of pressure on the balls of your feet which can lead to joint pain

High Heels & The Achilles/Calf:

• Wearing high heels can cause the Achilles tendon to bunch up and thicken leading to tightness of the tendon
• This shortening of the Achilles tendon thus leads to the calf contracting and shortening
• High heels can also impair your balance which can lead to ankle sprains due to the increased risk of falls

High Heels & Posture:

• High heels can lead to large shift in posture depending on the size of the heel.
• Heels can push your centre of mass forward, away from the proper alignment
• It does not only put more pressure on your knees, it also puts your hips and lower back out of alignment which can lead to pain in those regions

What Should You Do?:

• We believe that if you are a woman who loves their heels, you should aim to wear them sparingly, only for special occasions.
• You should always keep a flat pair of shoes with to change into as soon as the heels are not needed anymore or get too uncomfortable
• You should also consider wearing heels that are not as high, which will lessen the impact on your body and posture
• STRETCH – make sure you are combating your time in the short position with a good stretching regime and foam rolling
• Never wear your high heels while sitting at your desk – this puts your calf in the shortest possible postion
• It is IMPORTANT that you consider that your HEALTH should come first, NOT your HEELS!

If you would like to learn more about the Impact of High Heels, or about any of our services, please call us on 9922 2212 or email us on [email protected].