Continue reading to understand the health risks of high heels and why you should reduce their use.
10 Side Effects Of Wearing High Heels
1. Lower Back Pain
High heels are the ultimate fashion statement for women. They are usually chic and sexy and can up your style quotient. But comfort and stilettos do not go well together. The high heels do not give complete support to your feet. It causes an unequal distribution of weight that may trigger soreness, inflammation and pain in the lower back (1).
2. Sore Calves
Sore calf muscles are another side effect of those pointed heels. It can also lead to protruding veins, which not only look appalling but are extremely painful too. If you want to flaunt your toned legs steer clear of high heels (2).
3. Foot Pain
High heels or stilettos have a certain shape and design that looks fashionable. After a long day on your feet in that uncomfortable footwear, you are most likely to suffer from a foot ache. You can experience a sharp pain in your toes, sole, arch or heel (3).
4. Ankle Sprains
A pair of designer heels can add glamour and ointments to your wardrobe. You can wear high heels only if you are walking on even surfaces. Potholes, bumps and cobblestones can be potential party-poopers waiting for you to slip and sprain your ankle. Apart from the ankle sprain, a fall like this can also lead to broken ankles, bruised elbows and knees. If you land awkwardly, you might even suffer a concussion. Refrain from using your stilettos on a daily basis. If you must give in to your footwear fetish, do so only on special occasions (4).
5. Awkward Spinal Curve
Most fashionistas wear stilettos to flaunt their hour glass figure. High heels make the lower back arch out more than usual. In fact, the height of the heel is directly proportional to the degree of arch in your back. The awkward arch can cause nasty pains in the upper and lower back regions (5).
6. Constricts Blood Vessels
High heel shoes usually make the feet appear longer and thinner. The shoe shape squeezes the foot into a position that certainly isn’t natural and is anything but comfortable. The stress on your foot can result in a constricted blood flow. In extreme cases, it may cause the blood vessels to break (6).
7. Crooked Feet
Hammer toe is one of the most dangerous side effects of high heels on feet. The unnatural position of the foot, the strain on the calves, blood vessels and back result in a deformity of the foot, called hammer toe (7).
8. Weakens Ligaments
High heels weaken your ligaments. You should skip the glamorous footwear in order to protect your feet from any injury.
9. Knee Pain
The awkward curvature of the leg while wearing high heels puts too much pressure on the knee joint. It often leads to cases of osteoarthritis in people.
10. Hyperextension In Toes
Another adverse effect of wearing heels all the time is that it fixes your toe in permanent hyperextension. What happens if you wear high heels every day? While you might gain self-esteem and accentuate your legs by wearing heels daily, you might also put yourself at risk of sprains and leg pain. Do high heels affect hips? Yes. High heels might lead to pain in the lower back, knee, and hips. They lower your center of gravity and lead to an unnatural curvature of your spine (8).
