25 May How High Heels Truly Affect Your Feet
Ask a group of women how they feel about high heels and probably all of them will say “I love them, but can’t stand wearing them.” This is becoming more and more common among women as we are learning more and more about the actual dangers of wearing high heels and what they can do to your posture and spine health.
Cherrywood Foot Care, located in Bellmore, has been treating patients from Nassau, and Suffolk Counties for over twenty years. Cherrywood believes that each patient deserves special treatment, the doctors and staff at Cherrywood in Bellmore will go above and beyond to make sure that you receive the special care that you need. They will make sure that you are educated and well informed about your medical condition, and will see to it that you receive the highest quality of care that you need.
Barbara Stepko, a writer for Health.com, wrote an article called What High Heels Are Really Doing to Your Body, Stepko gives us reasons why high heels are, more than anything, damaging to our feet. According to the college of Podiatry, women have approximately four times as many foot issues as men. In a 2014 survey by the American Podiatric Medical association (APMA) found that nearly half of all women (approximately 49%) wear heels.
Cramming your feet into pointed shoes, or shoes that don’t fit can cause a list of painful issues that you don’t want to have. For example; calluses, hammertoes, bunions, plantar fasciitis and neuroma (a tingling, burning or numbness in the foot). Stepko also states that heels can throw your body alignment completely out of whack. According to Emily Splichal, DPM, podiatrist, human movement specialist, and author of Everyday Is Your Runway: A Shoe Lover’s Guide to Healthy Feet & Legs “your feet are the foundation for your entire body, and when you walk in heels, you change your center of balance,” says Splichal. This can result in a number of spinal issues.
Dr. Splichal says that when you slip into a pair of heels, your feet slide forward into the shoe. “The increased weight on the balls of your feet causes your pelvis to tilt forward,” says Splichal. The higher the heels, the greater the strain. The greater the strain, the more back, hip, and knee problems you are prone to have.
So what are some ways you can change it up and try and avoid damaging your feet, or further more, your spine, and still look good and enjoy wearing your heels? According to Stepko, there are a few different steps we can take. The first one being to “go lower.” By this, Stepko means to lower the height of your heel, this will result in better balance and put less stress on your back. The second step is to “steer clear of the skinny stiletto,” thicker heels offer better support and more stability. And lastly, “be aware of your posture.” “You should be wearing the heels—the heels shouldn’t be wearing you,” states Splichal. You should always be paying attention to your body, your movements, and how you are holding yourself. Splichal goes on to state that you should always “be aware of how your body is positioned and counter the tilt of your pelvis by keeping a neutral stance, shoulders back, chest out, soft knees. And resist the urge to fall on the ball of your foot by distributing weight evenly on the heels and balls of your foot.”
If you feel that you may be suffering from severe foot pain as a result of wearing heels, or shoes that are too small, get in touch with Cherrywood Foot Care in Bellmore. Cherrywood has been helping the residents of Bellmore, Suffolk, and Nassau Counties on Long Island for over twenty years. Get in touch with them today at 516-826-9000 or stop by their office at 2791 Jerusalem Ave, Bellmore, NY 11710.