Who doesn’t love a pair of heels? Be it for the instant lift that it gives you, a nice blingy style to your outfit or even the corrected posture, everything about those killer heels makes us want to don them with our most special outfits. But did you know that wearing those high heels for a longer period of time can have an array of side effects that you probably weren’t even aware of. Take a look at these health risks associated to wearing high heels and side effects of high heels that can make you give your favorite pair of stilettos a ditch and stick to your loved flats.
Side Effects Of Wearing High Heels
1. Ankle Pains
One of the most common side effects of high heels is strained ankle leading to ankle pains. The ankle rest in an awkward position in high heels. This side effects of wearing high heels may be temporary for some while for others who wear heels almost every day it can be a cause of other underlying physiological problems or changes due to wearing high heels.
[Also, Read: Heal Your Cracked Heels With This Miracle Home Remedy]
2. Lower Back Pain
As great as they may look, but high heels definitely do not make great choice of footwear for the longer run. The steep high heels makes your feet sit in an awkward position, as a result, the weight distribution of weight is uneven and put a strain on the lower back. This strain on the back for a delayed period of time can cause your soreness of back, inflammation and back ache. The posture in those towering heels is awkward and can add to the side effects of high heels.
[Also Read: Effective Cobra Pose Or Bhujangasana For Back Pain]
3. Sore Calf Muscles
You must have yourself observed this particular side effect of high heels for women. When you wear heels for a longer time the calves tend to feel stiff and pressured. This stiffness over a period of time can make your calves sore and extremely tired. These effects of high heels can be easily felt even if you wear heels only for few hours at a stretch.
4. Sprain in Ankle
Wearing High Heels on certain dresses can increase their overall appeal in almost a second, but one thing that you need to keep in mind while deciding to wear heels at any occasion is the type of place that you’re going to. If you ought to move around in a place of uneven ground, better not choose the heels, since wearing heels at uneven places can increase the risk of tripping and falling hence leading to sprained ankles.
5. Joint Pains
Did you notice that after a day of wearing heels, usually even your knee and other leg joints start to feel tired and stressed? Well, the ankle naturally is designed in a way to absorb the brunt of our walking steps. While you wear heels, the feet are stuck in a position and they are not as free to move and rotate. Thus, putting all the pressure and shock absorption onto the knees.
If you constantly wear heels it can slowly cause irreversible stress to knee joints and you may develop the risk of knee osteoarthritis.
6. Calluses
A callus is a thickened and hardened part of the skin or soft tissue, especially at a place that has been subjected to friction. A stiletto usually has a constricted front that tightly fits in your toes.
The worst part is that it in not exactly kade for every feet shape. If you tend to have feet that are slightly broader than the shoe shape you will most likely develop Calluses. These hardened skin patches may not only look ugly but also turn black over time. And when you wear strappy sandals these calluses will make your pretty feet look scarred.
7. Shortening of Achilles Tendon
This one is one of the more serious disadvantages of high heels. This side effects of high heels can cause pain in the heel of your foot even while you are not wearing heels. It was observed that women who wore heels for a longer duration of time for years together had shortened Achilles tendon.
This change in physiology is attributed to long hours of wearing heels. This lead to Achilles tendon shortening in order to provide the feet more support. As a result when these women wore flats of were barefoot the Achilles tendon feels stretched and it causes their heels to pain immensely.
8. Ingrown Toenails
Usually, pointed heels have constricted shapes in the front. Almost pointy in shape. This fit makes your feet feel the pressure of the sides of your shoes pressing on them. Moreover, the high heels make the feet to slide down with pressure and push the fingers even beyond. Overtime this can lead to pressing of nails in the flesh and eventually lead to ingrown toenails. And the women wearing high heels know how extremely painful they can be.
9. Awkward spinal curve
While you always felt that the high heels made your posture more beautiful and “Hourglass like” Did you know that this so called posture is actually unhealthy for your spine? One of the biggest disadvantages of high heels is that the height of the heels makes your spine curve awkwardly. The more the heels the more will your spine curve. This curve in your spine can cause sore lower back and result in back pain. In order to avoid these side effects of high heels, make sure you restrict wearing them only on special occasions.
10. Stress on Knee And Knee Pains
Wearing high heels also puts your knees under pressure. Prolonged use of high heels by women regularly can lead to a condition called as Osteoarthritis. It can be caused due to the extra pressure that your knee joints are put to due to the unnatural curvature of legs. This curvature can also make your joints degenerate and over a period of time make it difficult for you to even stand without feeling the joint pain.
11. Hyperextension in Toes
Also called as the turf toe, this is a side effects of high heels. It is a term commonly used for describing a sprain in the ligaments around the big toe of your feet. The main reason behind it can be walking or running wearing footwear that pushes your toe forcefully in the walk. It will over time be painful.
12. Haglund’s Deformity
The Haglund’s deformity is another one of the common disadvantages of Wearing high heels. It is referred to as the bony enlargement on the back of your heel. This Haglund’s deformity a growth of the bone that irritates soft tissues around your Achilles tendon when you walk or wear high heels. The continuous wearing of high heels can bring about this physiological change that can only be corrected by regular stretching exercises.
13. Morton’s Neuroma
One of the serious side effects of high heels is Morton’s Neuroma. This condition refers to the thickening of tissues around between our toes. This is attributed mostly to the tight and pointy heels front shapes. This can make your feet numb, or ticklish. It can also make walking painful in a few cases.
14. Constricts Blood Vessels
An advisory for ladies high heels can be even more dangerous if they are too tight. Yes, that is true. When you constantly wear tight heels they can constrict your blood vessels. Especially ones lying on the upper surface of your skin. In extreme cases, this constriction can also lead to blood vessels breaking.
15. Crooked Feet
Another one of the side effects of high heels, this is also called as hammer toe. It is a dangerous side effects of wearing heels. The unnatural position of your feet put strain on your calf muscles, blood vessels and also on the position of your feet. This constant pressure can deform your feet. It is called as hammer toe.
Well, we hope you realise how wearing those high heels may not really be great for your feet and health. While sometimes wearing the comfortable wedges and supporting heels on your pretty outfits may not be really bad, but make sure you don’t make high heels a thing for everyday wear. Hope you find this helpful.
