I often say that I would break my back to buy the new designer heeled boot every winter season but would I literally want to hurt myself in the process of wearing such an exquisite shoe?
Many women don’t understand the pressure we put our bodies when wearing heels. And no, there is no “gateway” heel. Two inches may be the lesser evil compared to five-inch spikes but it doesn’t make them innocent either.
With this beautiful trend comes health risks and unfortunately I’m going to explain them to you. Thus begins the lesson.
Let’s begin at the top.
Your posture: when wearing high heels your body folds into an S-curved shape which disturbs the even flow of your weight.
Your chest and lower back are pushed forward, your hips are pulled back and your knees will feel added pressure.
(Create this shape with your body now and hold it throughout the rest of this article.)
Next your knees: I believe knees are the weirdest yet most valuable part of a person’s body. I can’t even begin to tell you how many women and men I know who have problems with this joint.
So looking after them is vital if you want to be running after your grandchildren.
Wearing high heels forces the thigh muscles to work harder which increases the pressure on the knee cap by 26%.
Now that doesn’t seem like a lot but it’s equal to carrying around a small sack of potatoes all day. Not fun.
The added pressure on the knee joints and tendons may eventually cause osteoarthritis. Definitely not fun.
Let’s talk about the lower leg: We all want to elongate our muscles so we can avoid injury later on in life,however, wearing heels may shorten and tighten the muscles over time. Shortening the muscle results in lowering the arch in your feet and this will eventually make it harder for you to relax your foot later on in life. This would make walking on the beach very difficult. Goodbye romantic walks or retirement to Hawaii.
Now I’m certainly not encouraging women to stop wearing heels, in fact I love them too much to stop myself.
But hey, reduce the use and reduce the possible side effects.
You can relax your posture now.
Louise Jeckells.
Switching from six-inch to something more suitable.
