High-Heel Hell

They make you taller, make your legs look longer and generally look fantastic. So what could be wrong with wearing sexy high heels? Allow us to explain.

It is like wearing a corset or rings around your fingers: consistently placing strain on the same parts of your body always has consequences. Before slipping on your stilettos, you may want to consider what they are doing to you.

Sprained ankles, dislocations and even broken bones

Those strappy high-heeled sandals look fantastic, but what happens if you miss a step? The answer: sprained ankles, dislocations and even broken bones. If you “fall” off your high heels and roll onto the side of your foot, you place enormous pressure on the bones, tendons and ligaments of your foot and ankle, which in some cases can result in lasting damage. Ouch.

No wonder your back hurts

Our bodies can cope with a great deal, but continually straining the same areas comes at a cost. High heels shift your centre of gravity forwards, causing the hips to become misaligned and increasing the curve of the lumbar spine (hyperlordosis). No wonder your back hurts at the end of a long day, or even the next day. They also place strain on the inside of the knee, an area where women often develop osteoarthritis later in life.

Muscle fibres can become permanently shorter

When you wear high heels, your calf muscles remain contracted for long periods. With regular wear, this may even cause the muscle fibres in your calves to become permanently shorter. This can cause problems during athletic activities because the strain of moving the muscle from short (contracted) to long (stretched) can lead to tears and strains.

What is the solution?

The best solution would be to wear flat shoes, but it is understandable if you do not want to, particularly if you are attached to the contents of your shoe cupboard. As both a woman and a chiropractor, I understand this dilemma first-hand. If you “must” wear heels, try to keep them below 4 cm, or at least minimise the amount of standing and walking you do in them. You could also consider chiropractic care to address old tension or postural patterns that have developed over a lifetime of wearing high heels.

Are you a high-heel enthusiast who experiences aches and pains? Let us know what your body is telling you.