Healing touch for your heels

Stilettos maybe a symbol of fashion and femininity, but what killer footwear can do to your health is far from glamorous


Ask any woman in high heels why she wears them and she'll tell you it's a power thing. Those extra inches make you taller, improve the body's silhouette and ultimately give you the confidence to go out there and get what you want. But is the fashion for teetering heels from the catwalk taking us one step closer to body pain?

High heels have always been a potent symbol of fashion and femininity. From smouldering film stars in the 1950s to today's famous models showing off their high platforms on the catwalk and countless designs for stilettos in every shopping centre shoe-store, girls just can't get enough of high heels.

They may make you look fantastic, but what these killer heels can do to your health is far from glamorous. High heels shift your whole body weight forward, with most of it carried by the ball of the foot rather than the entire foot sole. Your back is forced to arch, and the chest thrust forward. Altering the natural alignment of the back, neck, hips, calves, and feet, forces parts of the body to tense up in order to adjust to this new form and to achieve balance.
Problems

In the short term, wearing high heels results in problems, including knee pain, hard skin developing on the ball of the foot, damaged soles and arches and enlarged ankle joints. Over a longer period, your high-heeled fashion statement may lead to arthritis of the knee, neuroma (nerves becoming trapped between the bones of the feet), a shift in the bones of the feet, curved/claw toes, bunions and more serious damage to your back, legs and spine.

You can also blame your shoes for those moments when you've made ditzy mistakes. Heels of more than two inches can significantly increase muscular tension throughout the body, constricting blood vessels and limiting blood supply to muscles and the brain. So, if you're standing in high heels for extended periods, this reduces the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain, contributing to a feeling of fatigue or brain strain.

Because walking in heels alters your centre of gravity, wearing them for too long can permanently shorten your calf muscles, making it uncomfortable to wear lower heeled shoes. And it's not just spikey stilettos that are causing the damage to women's bodies: it's the height of the heel, not its width that causes the problems.

Recent studies have found that wide-heeled shoes cause similar pressure on the knee as do narrow heels. Platforms are also a health hazard. They put immense strain on the lower leg muscles and can make you pay a high price for fashion if they trip you over and cause ankle sprains.

Despite knowing the risks, most women will opt for heels rather than sensible flat shoes. If you feel that you simply can't give up your treasured heel collection altogether, then the least that you can do is minimise the damage. To avoid over-strain on your feet, legs and back, do not walk more then two miles at a time in heels, and try to keep heel height to under two inches. The higher the heel, the worse for your body.

According to the American Physical Therapy Association, a three-inch heel creates seven times more stress on the forefoot than a one-inch heel.

Limiting the length of time you wear your heels can also help prevent problems, as can swapping heel heights, keeping the highest only for special occasions.

If you, like many high heel wearers, are experiencing soreness in the knees and ankles, as well as stiff lower back and calf muscles, don't ignore the pain and suffer in silence.

Take a break

Give your feet a break from heels for a few days, and do some stretching exercises to loosen the sore parts of your body. Your pharmacist or doctor can also recommend a non-steroid anti-inflammatory treatment, such as Voltaren Emulgel. This penetrates into the muscle and joint tissue to heal damage done and reduces swelling and inflammation, therefore alleviating the pain.

You should also avoid teetering in heels if you are pregnant, but at the same time, contrary to popular belief, avoid completely flat shoes during pregnancy. Instead, wear a comfortable heel of around an inch, which puts the spine, muscles and joints in a better position to withstand the extra weight of a developing child.

And it's common sense to say that if you suffer from back problems, these are only going to be exacerbated by prolonged wearing of high heels. Women always have and always will love the way high heels make them look and feel.

If you don't want to banish your favourite stilettos from your wardrobe forever, try limiting the distance you walk in them, reduce the length of time that you wear them and tend to any body aches with an anti-inflammatory treatment, to help minimise the high risks of high heels.

Some tips

• Avoid wearing them for long periods of time, and stretch the muscles in the back of your leg before and after putting them on.
• "High" is a relative term. Try and set your limit at two inches.
• Pelvic tilts and calf stretches will also minimise any muscle cramping and shortening.
• Change into low heels whenever you can.
• Don't go for the pointed toe. Use this rule of thumb: the higher the heel, the wider the toe box.
• Buy a wide variety of shoes and vary your footwear day-to-day.

Source: The American Physical Therapy Association