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HIGH HEELS : PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS TO ITS EFFECTS

Have you ever wondered that wearing a “towering footwear” or high heels can cause severe side effects than wearing flats? Nevertheless, only die-hard fashionistas appear to be at risk. Most women admit that high heels make their feet hurt, but they tolerate the uncomfortable feeling in order to look taller, stylish and more professional. Unfortunately, high heels may cause changes to the feet to impair high heels’ proper function. According to Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus Cambridge University Press (2011), high heels can be defined as women’s shoes in which the heels are raised high off the ground. Some of the side effects that may occur because of wearing high heels are bad body posture, lower-back pain, pain in the ball of foot or Metatarsalgia, and changes of muscles and tendon of the leg. In addition, those problems have their respective solutions.

There are many problems occurred when wearing high heels towards women. One of the common side effects of wearing high heels for women is bad body posture in a long run. Most women who are wearing high heels will normally have higher risk to bad postural problem or poor body alignment compared to those who are wearing flats. As mentioned by Terence (2008), the lower part of the body bend forward and the upper part of the body must lean back to maintain balance, and it is not the body’s normal standing position. It is also supported by Greene (2009), by wearing high heels, it may lead to a fully-body makeover, which causes the chest to throw outward and shape of the buttock to change. One of the best ways to overcome bad postural problem from getting worse is by choosing shoes with a wide heel which offers good stability. Based on Greene (2009) reviewed, women should avoid wearing pointed shoes and choose shoes with wide heels in order to maintain good stability and body posture when standing and walking. Hence, wearing high heels will lead to bad body posture in a long run, as well as getting lower-back pain.

Furthermore, wearing high heels will also lead to lower-back pain. Excessive use of high heels also can put women at risk of having lower-back pain. By referring to the article title “High-Heeled Shoes – Bad for the Body” by Terence (2008), poor body alignment may lead to lower-back pain. When the body pitch forward more than normal, it will put excess pressure on the back. One of the ways to solve lower-back pain problem is keep away from wearing high heels too often. It is recommended to wear high heels just for special occasion and even then only a high heel with the height of one and a half inches. As suggested by Dr. Cronin (2012), only wear high heels once or twice a week to overcome lower-back pain and women also must take out the high heels whenever possible, such as when sitting at the desk. Consequently, women who are so into the “towering footwear” or high heels have bigger risk to get lower back pain, as well as pain in the ball of foot or Metatarsalgia.

Another bad effects of wearing high heels for women is pain in the ball of the foot or Metatarsalgia. The higher the heels, the greater the pressure will be on the ball of the foot. According to Durham (2010), wearing high heels and forcing the foot into a narrow, pointed shoes can put extra stress on the ball of foot which will lead to Metatarsalgia since all of the body’s weight rests there. The problem of having pain in the ball of foot or Metatarsalgia can be solved by a few solutions. Firstly, try to find shoes that “contour” to the arch and distribute body weight over the entire foot, not just the ball of the foot. As recommended by Vasyli (2012), it is best to choose well-constructed quality shoes, especially those that have shock absorbing materials in the ball of foot, or even by using an insert like ‘Orthaheel’. Secondly, women should change shoe styles to low or flatter heels. To support this, Vasyli (2012) also mentioned that doctors actually suggested that wearing shoes with a slight heel, especially flats. Therefore, wearing high heels especially for die-hard fashionistas will contribute to pain in the ball of the foot or Metatarsalgia, and also changes of muscle and tendon of the leg.

The other side effect of wearing high heels for women is it will cause muscle and tendon of the leg changes. By referring to an article, “High Heels can Shrink Muscle, Thicken Tendons” by Klein (2010), the fibers in the calf muscles will shrink and the Achilles tendons thicken and lengthen. Klein (2010) also added that calf, muscles fibers will shrink by thirteen percent and the Achilles tendons thicken and lengthen by twenty-two percent if women wear two inches heels or higher, more than five times a week. The solution to overcome problem related to muscle and tendon of the leg changes is by stretching the muscles and tendons frequently. Women should stretch muscles and tendons to keep the muscles and tendons strong. Based on Garber (2010), loop a resistance band using belt or towel around the top of foot while sitting and then, gently pull back on the band while pushing against it with the toes. Garber (2010) also added that, women can also try to pick things up with toes which will help to strengthen the feet. Concisely, high heels wearers are at high risk in getting muscle and tendon of the leg changes.

To sum up, wearing high heels can provide the boost up image that many women find it attractive. In spite of this, forcing the feet into towering, narrow, pointed shoes and wearing them for too long not even can cause foot pain but also contribute to other problems to the body. There are many consequences and also solutions of wearing high heels among women namely changes of muscle and tendon of the leg, pain in the ball of foot or Metatarsalgia, lower-back pain, and also bad postural problem or body alignment. As suggestion, make sure the heels are of moderate proportions and not the towering variety. At the same time, always rotate the shoes to avoid wearing the high heels for a long period of time. Your feet and body will thank you, women! Moreover, you will absolutely save money instead of spending too much on trips to the podiatrist’s office.