Many people enjoy wearing high-heeled shoes to work or out on the town, without realizing that there is a price to be paid for looking good. While high heels can make you feel attractive and important, they also cause many problems to your body over time. Here are some reasons why you may want to opt for a flat-heeled shoe more often to ward off some of these painful conditions.

Restricts Ankle Movement

When you wear high heels, your ankles are not able to stretch as easily as when you wear shoes with flat soles. You need to keep your ankles tightly locked while walking, so that you do not risk falling. Therefore, the Achilles tendon and calf muscles will become shorter and stiffer over time with excessive heel wearing, simply because they will not be extended fully with each step you take. This will cause you pain in these areas when you switch to a lower or flat-heeled shoe. 

Squeezes Toes Together

Many high-heeled shoes have a pointed toe. Trying to squish all of your toes and the ball of your foot into a small area has dire consequences to the health of your feet. The arch will stretch due to trying to grasp the front of the shoes with your toes in an attempt to avoid falling over. Because of this, several problems can arise in the foot area. Many of these are painful and make your feet appear less than desirable. Some of the troubles you will encounter after prolonged high heel wearing include:

Affects Posture

Wearing heels will eventually change the way you walk. If you wear heels often, your back and legs muscles will become accustomed to needing to shift to compensate for your weight while you are walking. Because of this, your gait will become altered as your center of gravity pushes forward. It may seem as if you have great posture while wearing heels, but when you take them off, your posture will be off as well. Wearing heels will also compress the vertebrae in your spine, causing back pain as a result.

Weakens Knees

The higher the heel you wear, the more strain you place on the fronts of your legs, including the knees. This additional straining will cause your knees to be pushed into awkward positioning to keep your balance. Over time, this will cause regenerative arthritis in the knee area, causing you a deal of pain, especially in cooler or wetter weather conditions. 

For more information, contact a professional like those at ETL Podiatry.

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