Fashion Injuries

High heels traditionally give the aesthetic illusion of longer, more slender legs. It’s said that whilst many women assess a man by his eyes then his shoes, studies have suggested that men are totally unaware of whether women are wearing heels or not. Disappointing hey girls!

But the question here is……are those who wear heels giving themselves back pain? Well the answer is yes and no.

Although wearing heels creates postural changes in the body, this in itself will not cause injury or pain. Most muscle and joint pain is caused by a build up of stresses that lead to a cycle of adaptations and compensations within the body that eventually cause pain and high heels are often one of these stresses.

So what happens when you wear heels?
• More body weight is taken up by the ball of your foot putting pressure on your toe joints;
• The toes tend to be squashed together;
• The calf muscles work in a shortened length and will tighten over time;
• The knees tend to be bent when walking putting a greater force through the knee cap.
• The pelvis tilts forwards which makes the bum look more pert but also compresses the joints in the low back;
• The chest arches back which makes the bust stand out, compressing the joints in the mid back;
• The muscles in the front and back of the legs, thigh muscles, low and mid back muscles and shoulder muscles are all affected.

So if you’re constantly wearing 4 inch stilettos, you’re putting your body under extra stress and strain which may eventually lead to degeneration or pain. Remember though, your body has remarkable powers of healing and it’s fine to wear high heels irregularly for short periods.

And there’s some more good news;
• Some studies suggest that the height of the heel doesn’t matter, anything higher than 3cm has the same effect- so if you are going to wear heels you may as well wear really high ones
• Remember too, that learning to walk better in heels also reduces the stresses and strains, and also makes you look a lot more elegant

• And finally, wearing heels gives the pelvic floor muscles a good work out so if you suffer from a bit of incontinence or wish to improve your sexual performance, heels may help (although trampolining is better)!!