Heeled Shoes, Bad For Our Feet
Use wide shoes so that your toes are not pinched. Frequent use of high heels promotes ball toe.
Most women know that high heels can cause various ailments, particularly the feet and back.
In addition, they are sometimes very uncomfortable and sometimes painful even after being worn for a short time. Despite this knowledge, high-heeled shoes are often worn on a daily basis.
What is certain is that frequent wearing of heel shoes over 3 cm high with narrow toes can damage the health of our feet. These shoes can cause bunions, a permanent deformation of the toe bone that can be very painful.
This has been proven in a scientific study by the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid in collaboration with the renowned CEMTRO clinic. The study was presented at the World Podiatry Congress held in Rome, Italy.
Doctor Rubén Sánchez Gomez, author of this study and a doctor in the podiatry department of the aforementioned clinic in Madrid, notes that it was previously known that shoes with too narrow a toe can cause severe bone deformations on the feet.
Especially if these are worn often. However, it was not yet known that high-heeled shoes that are not too high can also be responsible for bunions.
How did you come to this conclusion?
About eighty women participated in this study who did not have any deformation of their feet at the beginning. Some were given high-heeled shoes to wear, while others were given flat shoes. Neither of these women wore narrow-toe shoes.
In this study it could be observed that in women with high heels, the third phalanx of the toe, which is connected to the hallux, as well as the first metatarsal bone (metatarsus) deformed.
After the participants took off their high heels, the shape of the bones normalized. In women who often wear high-heeled shoes over three centimeters high, permanent deformations can occur that no longer go away on their own.
What are the consequences of wearing high heels for a lifetime?
About 60% of women over the age of fifty often have severe pain in their feet caused by bunions of the feet. This can result in restricted mobility and problems in the lumbar region.
The quality of life of the women affected is often limited, which can also lead to insecurity and depression.
How do high heels affect the foot?
The front part of the feet supports approximately 57% of the body weight. With 4 cm high heels, this percentage increases significantly. With a heel of only 2 cm, the front foot then has to carry up to 75% of the body weight.
This overload can lead to hardening in the middle of the foot, which is very painful and can enormously restrict freedom of movement.
With the aim of avoiding painful bunions, we recommend avoiding shoes with narrow toes and heels, as they restrict the freedom of movement of the toes and they are severely compressed.
If the bones are already deformed, there is unfortunately nothing more to be done. One can only use pain relieving treatments. Unfortunately, there is no medical treatment that can reverse a deformed bone.
The only option is a surgical procedure that can partially or completely solve the problem. This operation is done very often.
It is better not to wear high heels or shoes with narrow toes, or at least only for very special occasions.
Even if these look elegant and beautiful, we have to be aware that wearing high heels can lead to health problems and our feet in particular suffer a lot from them.
