How to Minimize the Dangers of High Heels

Posted on February 22, 2017 | Categories: Foot Pain, Proper Foot Care | Tags: , , ,

There’s no way to sugar coat the facts, ladies: high heels can be dangerous. As much as we love them and as glamorous as they make us feel, we need to use our heads when propping our feet up on three and four-inch pegs.

There are two things to be concerned about when it comes to wearing high heels:

  1. Safety. Because you’re teetering up high and are literally off-balance when walking in heels, as fast as you can say “Zappos” you can be down on the ground with a twisted ankle, fractured toe, or an injury to another part of your body such as your knee, arm, or even your head.
  2. Health. When you wear high heels often, it affects your feet in many ways. Cramming your toes into tight spaces causes hammertoes and worsens bunions. Repeated walking on your toes – which is essentially what you do when you’re wearing a heel – will eventually overstretch your Achilles tendon and tighten your calf muscles. Heels can cause problems all the way up your leg and into your back.

The two female podiatrists of Montgomery Foot Care Specialists, Chanda L. Day-Houts, DPM and Heidi M. Christie, DPM, urge you to follow these simple rules for wearing high heels to minimize risk and keep your feet healthy:

  • Limit the number of hours you wear high heels to no more than 3.
  • Whenever possible and fashionably acceptable, keep heel height to 2 inches or less.
  • Vary the shoes you wear so that your foot is not subject to the same position every day.
  • Make sure the shoe fits well, not just in terms of length but width as well, especially in the toe box area.

Ask you local shoe experts about high heels designed specifically for walking. If you happen to have a large budget for shoes, explore the collection of beautiful women’s heels that have been designed by podiatrists (an internet search of “shoes designed by podiatrists” will reveal several options).

For top-quality treatment of all foot disorders, whether you think your heels caused them or something else did – contact us at our podiatry office in Montgomery, AL. Make an appointment online or give us a call at (334) 396-3668.