7 Health Risks Of Wearing Heels You Didn’t Know

Every woman loves to wear heels not only to look taller but because she knows that they amplify their persona. Heels give a decent and urban appeal in a way that woman consider it as the most stylish accessory, which enhances their wow factor. But most women are actually enduring a lot of pain for looking amazing. Moreover, no matter how many women out there come to know about the health hazards of wearing heels, but heels will never be out of market or out of fashion.

Since 1600s, women have become fond of wearing heels ranging from kitten heels to sky-high platforms and is their trademark style statement, be it for a woman working in a corporate or a woman flaunting herself on the ramp. Despite pain in the feet and ankles, women hardly ever compromise when it comes to showing off her charismatic appeal. But the truth is bitter in terms of their long term health. Wearing heels for a long period of time causes structural changes of the foot and many times, you may notice a kind of deformation that basically results from wearing wrong shoe sizes. Since all the body weight shifts to the tender balls of the foot, heels can completely disfigure the appearance of the foot while causing a perennial pain in the long run.

If you have been experiencing crucial pain in the ankles and ball of the foot, then probably it is time to know these 7 health risks of wearing heels you didn’t know and thereby, smartly choose shoes that take good care of your feet:

1. Lower Back Pain

There are many women out there working in professions where wearing heels is a must. Wearing heels is not always out of personal choice. They are expected to work in a standing position wearing those heels that challenges the natural way of placing feet on the ground. Many researchers have found that women who have such standing jobs tend to suffer from chronic back pain. This is because when they wear heels and stand for longer duration, the heels cause their pelvis to push forward. This in turn, puts enormous pressure on the lower back resulting is stringent pain, which in long term can pose a serious problem.

2. Joint Pain

When you wear heels, the basic purpose of having a flat foot is lost as your foot stands in a sloping position. Due to this, the weight of the body is not equally distributed on your foot. Heels don’t provide shock absorption, which is why the knee has to bear the burden of the body as you step ahead. Moreover, wearing heels restrict your movements and the rigidity causes you to walk straight without bending or moving naturally. This can gradually cause severe pain in your knees and you may also develop arthritis. Also the ankle joint, known as a very sensitive joint, tends to feel sore and stiff after wearing heels for a long time.

3. Callouses

Having a fetish for heels is okay, but if you are a maniac for wearing heels, then you must be ready for seeing a disfigured foot also. When you push your feet into shoes that are tight for you or into shoes that have a peculiar design, which causes your feet to take unnatural shapes, then they can create a pressure on the toes and sides of the feet. The blood circulation may get disrupted. After wearing them for long time, you will witness that the skin in your feet has become stiff and hardened. Wearing such shoes in winter will make you embarrassed during summers, when you will have to wear sandals and flip-flops.

4. Ingrown Toenails

Your toenails suffer a great deal of pain and discomfort both internally and externally, when you wear heels. Most heel shoes or sandals have a pointy or almond shaped design that tends to squeeze the biggest and the smallest toenail. They get pressed intensely and due to the sliding design of heels, they even get crushed. This leads to ingrown toenails, which causes the pressurised toenails to grow into your flesh. This is can very painful and needs prompt medical treatment.

Recommended: Drawbacks Of Wearing Skinny Jeans

5. Lack Of Proper Cushioning

Your entire feet must be utilised in balancing your body. But when you wear heels, the ball of your foot bears the body’s complete weight while the rest of the feet provides minimal balance. Over the time, this can lead to pushing away of the natural cushioning that the ball of your foot provides. This makes your feet very sensitive and wearing heels causes nothing more than discomfort. Many plastic surgeons are inducing Botox into patient’s feet so that there is extra padding to ensure that the ball of the foot doesn’t get damaged and wearing heels become comfortable.

6. Shortened Achilles Tendon

Not many know about shortened Achilles tendon, but it is widely experienced by women wearing high heels on daily basis. Medical studies have proven that women who wear heels for a longer period of time in their lives, tend to have this disorder. This is because when they keep their feet in the sloping position while wearing heels for a longer duration, then they are bound to suffer from some physiological changes in their feet. This changes the positioning of the muscles and tendons around the ankles. You will adjudge that you suffer from shortened Achilles tendon when you try to walk barefoot or wear shoes or sandals without heels only to experience immense pain and over stretching of muscles.

7. Sprained Ankles

When you walk barefoot or with flat shoes or sandals, your heel and the ball of the foot shares the weight of the body while a certain percentage of weight is also balanced by your ankle. But when you wear heels, the ball of the foot is lifted, which places a major percentage of body weight on the ankle too. Ankles are very sensitive and it tends to get further sensitive when it is forced to hold the body weight. Therefore, it is very common that women tend to twist or sprain their ankles frequently while walking or standing.