Are high heels bad for your feet?
High heels are worn because they look fashionable, elongate your legs, and complete a look. Many women wear high heels for special occasions like weddings, parties, and dinners. Often employers in corporate environments may even require workers to wear high heels.
Unfortunately, high heels are not good for your feet. You will likely land up with aching feet after a few hours of wear no matter how comfortable they are. You might feel pain at the ball of your feet, knees, and even your lower back. The higher the heel, the greater the pressure on the ball of your feet.
Although wearing high heels once in a while probably is not going to cause any danger or harm to your health, wearing high heels daily or weekly may cause changes to your feet.
What are the risks of wearing high heels?
Wearing high heels can cause a variety of problems with your feet. This can include:
Blisters
Shortened Achilles Tendon
Stress fractures
Pinched nerves (such as Morton’s neuroma)
Thickened/ damaged toenails
Bunions
Hammertoe
What can I do to reduce the harmful effects of wearing high heels?
Stretch your calf muscles to reduce the risk of Achilles Tendon shortening
Stretch your toes
Limit the time spent in high heels
Wear shoes that are lower and wider
What should I do if I have to wear high heels at work?
Try speaking to your employer and negotiate wearing stylish flat shoes, if unsuccessful and you are required to wear high heels at work then we recommend the following:
Limit time spent in high heels
Try to avoid excessively high heels
Avoid high heels with a pointy toe box - rounder and wider is best in the toe area
When sitting at your desk take off your shoes
Wear supportive runners to and from work
If you have concerns about wearing high heels feel free to contact us for an appointment and biomechanical assessment. We treat feet from all over Sydney, particularly the Eastern Suburbs. As podiatrists in Bondi Junction, we are happy to treat anyone that comes to our Sydney clinic. Our local area includes Bondi Junction, Bondi, Bondi Beach, North Bondi, Rose Bay, Tamarama, Coogee, Randwick, Bellevue Hill, Dover Heights, Vaucluse, and Edgecliff.
