High Heels and Foot Health

By Dr.  Jean Archer
 

High heels can make you look great, however those sexy high heels you are wearing may lead to foot pain and contribute to foot problems later on in life.  High heel shoes force more of your body weight forward, putting strain on the ball of your feet.  This can sometimes lead to bunion, hammertoes and other foot related problems. In addition, high heeled shoes throw the entire weight of the body forward. 

So to avoid foot pain secondary to high heels, follow these helpful hints: 

• Swap towering shoes for shoes with a heel height no higher than 2 inches. It is best to gradually reduce heel height and the amount of time you wear them in order to give your body time to adjust.
   
• When you’re planning to do a lot of walking or standing, make sure that the shoes have adequate arch and heel support. When walking or standing the heel and arch absorb most of the pressure and weight from both the body as well as that from the ground. A shoe with adequate support will help to absorb these pressures.

By tracing your foot on a sheet of paper while standing barefoot, you can get an idea of the width and length of your foot .Then when you go to the shoe store to purchase shoes, hold up the shoe against the tracing. If the lines of the tracing fall outside of the shoe, then you know this is not an accurate fit.