Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

unhappy feet

Ow. Ow. Ow.

A women’s health column at Newsweek.com today explains, in plenty detail, all the damage high-heeled shoes do to women’s feet:

Let’s start with the toes. Squeezing them into pointy prisons exacerbates deformities like bunions (an enlargement of the joint at the base of the big toe) and hammertoes (a contraction of the toe that makes it look like an upside-down V), says Dr. Zachary Chattler, a podiatric surgeon and instructor in the department of orthopedics at Johns Hopkins Medical School. If your toenails are turning a yucky color, you could have a nail fungus aggravated by too-tight shoes, Chattler adds. The higher the heel, the more pressure on your foot and that can lead to a neuroma, a pinched nerve that causes pain in the ball of the foot and a tingling in the toes. Your soles suffer as well. The fat pads underneath your toes begin to thin as you age and wearing high heels accelerates that process, which means you’ll feel more pain when you’re walking or even standing.

Long-time high-heel wearers are at higher risk for bursitis, capsulitis and arthritis (all conditions that cause pain, swelling or inflammation around joints). Heels also strain tendons, which can lead to pain and inflammation. Many of Chattler’s female patients are surprised to find they can’t wear sneakers after years of wearing heels. “I try to explain to them that the high heels have contracted their Achilles tendon so much that they can’t get their feet flat down on the ground any more,” he says. Bone spurs aggravated by shoes can also form at the back of your heel. That’s called a “Haglund Deformity” or “pump bump,” Chattler says.

(“On Your Toes” - 12/01/05)

I have noticed that after a few days of wearing heels, my feet do feel strange wearing flats or sneakers, but I’d never considered that such a thing would lead to long-term damage.

I used to wear heels all the time. (I like mid-height, chunky heels. I’m so clumsy, wearing stilettos would be like taking my life into my own hands.) I think I stopped after I bought a pair of comfy sandals this summer and started wearing them almost every day. (I’m even wearing them today, despite the cold outside.) It’s part laziness (I prefer slip-on shoes, and dislike socks and stockings), part comfort and practicality (I can’t comfortably walk all that far in heels).