Ah, the love/hate relationship we have with high heels. Heels look great. They make our legs look long, make us stand straight, and make for some killer struts but they truly are terrible for our bodies. Besides causing blisters and making us double over in foot pain after an hour, high heels affect many different parts of our body. Here is what happens to your body when you wear high heels.
MUST READ: My Feet: How to Relieve Foot Pain from Sexy High Heels
Ouch! My Feet!
- Let’s start off with what our heels directly affect, which are the feet. When in heels, you force yourself onto the balls of your feet and also your toes. When you are barefoot or walking in flat shoes, your feet can evenly absorb the shock of walking, jumping, and running. In heels, you eliminate all chances of that.
- Any heels that are taller than four inches can increase the amount of pressure placed on the fronts of your feet by more than 30 percent. As the heel height grows, the higher the percentage.
- You can get ingrown toenails and unsightly blisters because you have to adapt how your walk in heels.
Save my ankles and calves!
- When you wear heels, you impact your ankles and calves as well. Prolonged wearing of heels can cause you to actually shorten your calf and ankle tendons. This then makes it hard for you to comfortably walk, even while barefoot or with flats on.
- You can restrict the blood circulation in your legs if you are a heel lover. The ankle bends forward, which impacts the blood flow. As you get older, you can begin to develop spider veins.
- You can tighten and stiffen your Achilles tendon. If you are in heels all days, you need to make sure to stretch your feet by flexing them to prevent Achilles pain.
- You can develop cramps in your calves if you do not allow them to stretch out.
MUST READ: Why You Should Break Up With Your High Heels Before You Break Your Ankles
Ooh, my back!
- Those killer struts come with a price. Your spine in heels will shift unnaturally to accommodate your shoes. This can cause stress which will result in you experiencing lower back soreness.
- Wearing heels for prolonged periods of time can cause overall back soreness or pain because it needs to accommodate and keep you balanced since you will naturally lean forward in your spiked shoes.
My knees!
- Knees are also important to absorb the shocks your body takes on a daily basis. While it does well to take a daily beating to protect your body, it can only do it for so long. By adding heels to your daily routine, you can put a huge stress on your knees. Women who wear high heels constantly can and have developed the condition known as osteoarthritis.
Be kind to your body. We know heels can make an entire outfit but if you’ve noticed you’ve been wearing them too frequently, perhaps it’s time to take a little break from your beloved shoes. Instead, why not break in those adorable flats sitting in your closet waiting to be loved?
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