High Heels Can Affect the Health Of Your Feet and Ankles

If you’re a woman, then you’re well-versed in the struggle of wearing heels! But did you know some severe health risks come with wearing high heels? Here are a few things shoes can do that you may not know.
Health Effects of Wearing High Heels
1. Painful Feet and Ankles High heels, while they may enhance your appearance or even make your feet appear smaller, can cause a lot of pain. You see, wearing heels causes the body to put pressure on the feet and ankles, and while this may seem harmless at first, it’s not that simple. High pressure can lead to foot deformities (like hammertoes), weak ankles, sore feet, bunions, and blisters. Wearing high heels for long periods can also cause stress fractures in the heel and ankle area, which are very painful! And if you think wearing heels will reduce the risk of developing these conditions, consider this: There is no such thing as a “healthy” heel.
2. High heels can cause back pain and arthritis and weaken your legs and feet. Other problems include red spots on the soles of your feet and tan lines from wearing them too much. They can also cause tightness in the soles of your toes, which could make it difficult to walk or run normally. Not only might wearing high heels increase the risk for these, but it could potentially affect how well your body absorbs oxygen to stay healthy!
3. Stretching of the Achilles tendon, a large tendon located at the back of your ankle. This could lead to pain and inflammation in your ankle, heel, and calf area. When this happens in the Achilles tendon, it could cause the tendon to be permanently stretched out and leave you with limited ankle motion and flexibility.
4. Stress Fracture, Wearing high heels can cause stress fractures in bones and muscles in the foot and ankle. Everything from how you walk to how you stand to how often you wear shoes with heels can affect your foot’s strength. High heels can put pressure on a foot that may not be used to, causing those painful spasms and creaking sounds! This can further weaken your ankles and knees by putting more pressure on them than if you were wearing flip-flops or flats. In extreme cases, this extra pressure could cause a stress fracture if it’s not taken care of!
5. High heels also contribute to tight calves. The muscles in the lower leg, specifically the calf, can become shorter if you wear heels for long periods every day. This is especially true for women who wear a lot of high heels. Sadly (for some), wearing high heels diminishes the size of your calves and ankles. High heels could also make it more difficult to walk normally in general because they often force a person to step on their toes or in an unnatural way.
6. Tight Calf Muscles. Wearing high heels can cause nerve problems in your feet and hands. While you might not feel it now, the anxiety of wearing high heels and other shoes can cause permanent problems with your nerves and muscles. The good news is that wearing comfortable shoes for extended periods (even if they are flats) can prevent problems from happening to your feet in the long run!
If you or anyone you know wears high heels, it’s essential to educate them about the risks so they can prevent any future problems. You can spread awareness by sharing this article on Facebook and Twitter! Start tweeting about the health risks of high heels today.