look news india
In today’s era, fashion and style have become an important part of every woman’s lifestyle. Be it a party, office meeting or any special event, wearing high heels with dresses gives a new and glamorous look to the personality. However, for the sake of beauty and confidence, women walk around wearing heels for hours, the same heels are gradually damaging the internal structure of their body. According to health and orthopedic experts, wearing high heels continuously or for a long time deteriorates the biomechanics of the entire body, from toes to the spine. This fashion trend puts undue pressure on different parts of the body, which can later lead to serious chronic diseases of the spine, hips and knees.
When we walk wearing flat or normal shoes, our entire body weight is distributed equally on both the feet and the spine remains in its natural ‘S’ shape. But as soon as a woman wears high heels, the entire center of gravity of the body shifts forward. Due to the height of the heel, the heel rises up and 70 to 90 percent of the body weight falls on the front part of the foot i.e. the balls of the feet. To handle this imbalance, the body tries to push itself backward. In this process, the lower back gets excessively bent, which is called ‘Lordosis’ in medical language. This abnormal pressure on the spinal cord is the main cause of muscle strain, compression of nerves and chronic back pain.
The effect of high heels is not limited only to the feet or back, but it also directly affects the health of our hips. To maintain body balance while walking wearing heels, the hip flexor muscles have to continuously contract and work extremely hard. Due to prolonged stress on the hip flexors, these muscles become short and stiff. As a result, the natural range of motion of the hip joints begins to decrease. When the hips are not able to move properly, it directly affects the pelvic tilt. In the future, this condition can cause hip arthritis and untimely wear and tear of the hip joints.
Medical research has proven that even wearing 2 to 3 inch high heels increases the pressure on the knee joints by about 25 to 30 percent. While walking wearing heels, the knees remain slightly bent, which causes abnormal friction on the patella and inner cartilage. Indian women are more likely to suffer from knee pain and osteoarthritis than men, and regular use of high heels is believed to be a major contributor. Additionally, the main tendon of the heel, called the ‘Achilles tendon’, remains in a contracted state due to wearing heels. When this happens for a long time, this nerve becomes hard, due to which even walking barefoot without heels or wearing flat shoes causes severe pain.
Continuous wearing of high heels causes structural changes in the toes of the feet. Due to the narrow and pointed front part of the heels (Pointed Toe Box), the toes get pressed together. Due to this, the bone near the thumb protrudes outward, which is called ‘Bunion’. This is a very painful condition in which even walking becomes difficult. In addition, the nerves between the fingers become swollen due to continuous compression, which is called ‘Morton’s Neuroma’. In this, there is a burning sensation in the soles of the feet, a needle pricking sensation and unbearable pain. This habit adopted for fashion can gradually and permanently spoil the natural structure of the feet.
Health experts do not say that you should stop wearing heels completely, but it is very important to be alert and careful about their use. If you are also fond of wearing heels, then you can protect your body from harm by keeping these important things in mind:
-
Choose block heels or platform heels, as they distribute body weight better than stilettos.
-
Do not keep the height of heels more than 1.5 to 2 inches and avoid wearing heels for several hours continuously every day.
-
Wear flats or comfortable sneakers to the office or on long journeys and use heels only on special occasions.
-
After taking off the heels, do stretching of the muscles of the legs, calves and hips so that the strain on the muscles can be reduced.
-
Apply lukewarm water on the bottom of the feet or massage the soles with a tennis ball, so that the blood circulation remains smooth.
In case of any kind of problem, our body starts giving initial signals in the form of pain and fatigue. If after wearing heels you often feel pain in the lower back, stiffness in the hips or numbness in the feet, do not ignore it as normal. Fashion is good only as long as it does not harm your health and physical freedom. By choosing the right footwear, you can not only protect your posture and spine, but also protect yourself from serious orthopedic problems in the future.