Most women are familiar with how brutally painful wearing high heels can be, but many don’t realise that in wearing them they may also be setting themselves up for future knee and foot problems and possibly even arthritis.
A new study from Stanford University in the United States says their research into the biomechanical function of high heels and its effects on the human body shows that women’s knee joints looked and behaved like aged and damaged joints when they wore high heels.
The study also revealed that wearing high heels often wears away cartilage in the knees and in the worst cases, surgery and even a knee replacement may be required to treat the condition.
This increase in wear and tear on the joints is caused by the extreme angle at which feet are held by high heel shoes.
“The angle increases the pressure on the knees by more than 25 per cent and places significant pressure on the kneecaps when you’re not walking around,” the study said.
I am certainly not surprised by such findings,” says Leigh Birchley, a podiatrist from Paddington in Sydney’s east and member of the Australian Podiatry Association. “I have seen thousands of women during my 20 years as a podiatrist complaining about foot and knee problems that stem from wearing high heels , not just occasionally but all day every day. That increased pressure puts stress on the cartilage around the knees and gradually wears it down.”
The general rule for heels, says Leigh, is that you should stick to heels that are five centimetres or lower. Any higher than five centimetres and the risk of knee and foot damage increases significantly. Heels that are seven, eight or 10 centimetres high force your skeleton to become improperly aligned and contribute to osteoarthritis in later life.
“It tends to be the users who are wearing them during the week that do the most damage,” says Leigh. “Many of them suffer significant levels of pain on a daily basis because of high heels. Wearing high heels puts an abnormal amount of pressure on the joints at the toes. I see a lot of women with arthritic symptoms in the big toe joint and it also causes a lot of pain in ankles. Any time you are pushing a joint beyond its normal range of motion over protracted time you are going to suffer damage and stress in the surrounding tissues.
Leigh’s recommendation for high heels is ‘use them sparingly’.
“Every women wants to look as good as possibly can,” says Leigh. “But really save the high heel; for a special occasion – a big night out or a special date. Don’t wear them to work every day because there is a penalty to be paid. And don’t feel as though your working life is going to end if you are not always wearing a high heel. It’s not. There are many beautiful shoes out there with heels less than five centimetres. Keep the big ones for your big night out.”
