Office workers who walk frequently are advised not to wear high heels, as they may cause more harm than you think...

Reviewer: Zhang Jianzhong, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Chief Physician/Professor

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High heels are one of women's favorites. Wearing them can instantly increase height, lengthen the body proportions, and make women's legs look longer and more beautiful visually.

Little do people know that wearing high heels increases the risk of falls, sprains, and joint and muscle strains, especially for women who need to wear high heels for a long time at work, who suffer greater damage.

Wearing high heels will cause deformed toes

Wearing high heels for a long time can cause damage to the toes, causing them to become deformed to varying degrees.

•Formation of hallux valgus : Wearing pointed high-heeled shoes for a long time will increase the pressure on the forefoot. Coupled with the squeezing of the toes by the pointed shoes, it is easy to form hallux valgus.

When walking, the weight of the whole body falls on the bend of the joint caused by hallux valgus, which will cause great pain.

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•Formation of hammer toes : Wearing high heels will cause the metatarsophalangeal joints to hyperextend and the proximal interphalangeal joints to hyperflex, resulting in excessive squeezing of the forefoot, causing abnormal toe alignment and, in severe cases, the formation of hammer toes.

Wearing high heels can cause more harm

Wearing high heels will change the body's center of gravity balance and the way the feet exert force in a natural state. Long-term wearing will not only deform the toes, but also cause other harm to the human body.

•It may cause bowed legs, forward tilt of the pelvis, and forward thrust of the lower abdomen . Because wearing high heels changes the balance of the body's center of gravity, the body must make some adjustments in order to regain balance, such as bending the lower legs backwards and thrusting the lower abdomen forward.

• It is easy to cause increased pressure on the second and third metatarsal heads . Wearing high heels can cause pain in this area, and in severe cases, arthritis may occur.

•Change the gait and posture of the human body . Wearing high heels will increase the non-physiological use of some muscles, causing muscle strain, such as lumbar muscle strain, etc. Compared with flat shoes or wedge shoes, the heel stability of high heels is relatively poor, which can easily cause people to fall.

In addition, when wearing high heels, the contact area between the sole of the foot and the ground is reduced, and the body's ability to adjust balance is reduced. If the ground is slippery or bumpy, it is easy to sprain your ankle. The higher the heel, the greater the possibility of spraining your ankle, and the more serious the sprain will be.

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Tips for wearing high heels

What should you do if you feel tired after wearing high heels for a long time? The most direct way is to change into flat shoes and give your feet some time to relax. What if you have to wear high heels for work? Here are some tips on wearing high heels.

First of all , when choosing high heels, try not to make the heels higher than 5 cm, and wear them for no more than 4 hours a day. When choosing high heels, thick heels are more comfortable than thin heels, because they increase the contact area with the ground, making standing and walking more stable and comfortable. Don't choose shoes with too big a height difference between the front and back of the body. A 45-degree angle will make your soles bear the force more evenly and will be more comfortable to wear.

Secondly , you can soften the leather of your high heels so that you won't feel tired when you walk. You can soak a paper towel in white wine and apply it to the edge of the high heels to soften the edge. You can also apply talcum powder directly on both sides of the high heels, because talcum powder is smooth, so when we wear it, we won't feel tired.

So, how do you relieve fatigue after wearing high heels all day?

First, you can improve blood circulation by stepping on a tennis ball . Step on a tennis ball under your foot, roll it back and forth, and massage the arch of your foot to improve blood circulation in the sole of your foot.

Second, you can do the foot-pulling exercise to eliminate the pain in your feet and ankles . Take a towel, then sit down, straighten one leg, bend the other leg, grab both ends of the towel, wrap it around the sole of the straightened leg, and pull it toward your body. Hold for 6 seconds and then release it, and repeat this action slowly 10 times.

Wearing high heels is beautiful, but for the sake of health, female friends should still choose carefully. Choose the right shoes, slow down your pace, take care of your feet, and give your feet a proper break to achieve beauty and health.

This also puts higher demands on high-heeled shoe manufacturers. High-heeled shoes must not only be beautiful, but also practical, comfortable and safe[1].

References

[1] Xing Yan. Research on factors affecting the comfort of high heels. Tianjin: Tianjin University of Technology, 2021.