Heels and the health of women's feet

Social conventions define what is good or bad for each occasion. In this sense, heels emerge as a synonym for glamour, beauty and empowerment. So much so that today it is common to praise women who wear heels and encourage them to continue wearing them.

This culture begins in childhood. In films, soap operas and series, this type of footwear appears on the feet of the strongest women. In fact, we don't have to look far to find children's models, so that young girls can learn from an early age how to balance in taller sizes.

What no one talks about is how bad this can be.

All footwear affects the natural shape of the feet. Even the smallest drop in a shoe — the “heel” that sits just below the heel — has an impact on the distribution of the load. As a long-term consequence, pain can be inevitable with prolonged use.

Especially in the case of women's heels, the drop is high to the maximum and increases the tension in the calf muscles to such an extent that pain appears after a short time of use. To make matters worse, society still mentions the “lack of habit” to justify this pain and reinforce the idea that at some point the discomfort will go away.

However, the truth is different. When a woman wears high heels, her muscles suffer from excessive tension, but that's not all.

The muscles in the back of the body suffer from the new muscle tension, the center of balance shifts and impacts the curvature of the spine, and the altered body mechanics create more pressure on the patella — the small bone in the knee.

Above all, it is worth highlighting the change in the distribution of the weight of the feet. Accustomed to dividing 50% of the weight on the front part and 50% on the back part, the front part of the foot receives an unusual load.

This means you run the risk of collapsing the anterior arch of your foot and suffering from pain in your bunion, which then assumes the greatest load on your foot.

There are those who do not wear heels at all, and there are also women who do not attend any party without this type of footwear. Regardless, one thing is certain: the consequences of wearing heels need to be revealed.

Without this, women do not have the right to make decisions for themselves knowing all the consequences.

FOT Team