Put on your shoes so that you are ready to spread the Good News that gives peace. Eph.6:15
Wednesday Health Check:
Going Back to the Basics
My dear friends, I trust you are having a momentous week. I hope you are looking forward to our Wednesday health topic. Today I was led to talk about the high heels we all love and cannot live without, and many women can testify that they don’t feel fully dressed up if they are not wearing their gorgeous high heels.
At some point in my life, I could not leave the house without high heels; I would wear them even when cooking in the kitchen; I was obsessed with wearing high heels. The funny thing was that I would have a hard time falling asleep at night because my legs would be aching so badly, and I would ask my husband to give me a foot massage every night.
I did not know that I was negatively affecting my health, and if a friend did not warn me about my behavior, I would have exposed myself to severe health issues in the future. After she visited her doctor for her routine check-up, she was advised not to wear high heels, and I took it upon myself to research and found out why it was necessary to refrain from wearing those beautiful stilettos. Below I am sharing the medical facts I discovered as I was doing my research.
High Heels Can Be Amongst the Reasons for Joint Pain
- High-heeled shoes affect various body muscles and alter the body posture and the walking pattern. That increases the pressure on the knees, hip, foot, and ankle joint.
- Change in the way you walk causes excessive usage of the muscle, causing pressure on the joint.
High Heels Can Affect the Biomechanics of the Body
Wearing high heels causes the forward bending of the spine and hips. The lower back pushes forward, and the hips protrude backward, altering the balance of the body. As the body tries to find balance, the calf, hip, and back muscles become tight. That causes muscles to become fatigued and strain and causes calf muscle cramps.
Medical conditions associated with high heels on the spine:
- Spondylolisthesis: This is forward slipping of the vertebra over another vertebra.
- Lumbar Canal Stenosis: There is a decrease in the vertebral space. That is mainly due to weak muscles caused by wearing regular heels. That causes disc bulge. That can compress the spinal cord, causing pain, numbness, and tingling in the legs.
- Upper Cross Syndrome: There are rounded shoulders and forward neck. That causes the tightening of the pectoral muscles and weakening of the upper back muscles.
- Compensatory Posture Problems: The cervical spine is affected due to compensatory posture problems. There is a possibility of increased chances of the disc bulge leading to pain in the neck and nerve compression, causing tingling, numbness, and pain in the hands.
High Heels and Arthritis
Some researchers have concluded that high heels are worse than living with arthritis. Below I have listed some of the many medical conditions associated with wearing high heels.
1. High Heels Affect the Heels
- Plantar Fasciitis: There is a pain in the heels. The person is unable to keep the first step in the morning.
- Calcaneal Spur: There is a bony outgrowth due to regular heels and tightly fitted shoes. That causes pain in the heels as well as in Tendo Achilles.
- Bursitis: Pain and inflammation of the bursa located in between the tendoachilles and bone.
2. Ankle Sprain
- Ankle Sprain: potholes, bumps, and pebbles may disturb the balance while walking with heels. That increases the tendency to slip and injure your ankle and back. That can cause an ankle sprain.
- High heels weaken the ankle ligament and thus making prone to an ankle sprain.
3. Knee Joints
- Knee Joint- It causes hyperextension of the knee joint. That strains the knee ligaments. Thus, the knee joint becomes prone to injury.
4. Pain on the Toes
- Hammer Toe: It causes the toe to bend downwards. It can affect any toe of the foot.
- Metatarsalgia: High heel causes direct pressure on the ball of the foot.
Conclusion
- Not all high heels are bad for your health. Wearing a medium heel can be very useful in the early treatment of calf strains and Achilles tendinosis. The heel will offload the calf muscle and Achilles tendon by putting them in a slightly shortened position. That can give the damaged tissue a chance to calm down and protect it during the acute healing stage.
2. High heels affect the quality of your life now, and it will have a severe impact on the quality of your life as you get older.
3. Enjoy them occasionally for a limited time.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and I trust to meet with you again next week on Wednesday Health Check.
References: Medlife.com – Dr Vidhi Jain, Sport Injury Physio.com.
Photos: Health 24, Pexels.
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