What Effects Do High Heels Have on Long-Term Spine Health?
High heel shoes have been shown in studies to be harmful to your health, affecting your hips, spine, knees, ankles, and feet, as well as putting your posture out of whack. When your body is properly aligned, it functions more efficiently and promotes better overall health. Although it is true that 72 percent of women wear high heels at some point in their lives, they can be structurally detrimental in addition to complying to societal conventions.
The body should be perfectly aligned from head to toe, with feet flat on the floor, in a perfect state. These styles of shoes have a raised heel that pulls muscles and joints out of position. This implies that the issue does not end at the feet. It's fairly uncommon for those who choose to wear high heels to experience lumbar, neck, and shoulder pain as a result of the shoes' interference with the body's natural shapes.
A woman's body will eventually make an effort to compensate for the out-of-shape balance caused by heels by bending forward or flexing the hips and spine. The body, particularly the leg and back muscles, will become stiff in an attempt to actually rebalance the balance. This will inevitably result in muscle exhaustion, and the calf muscle may even bulge out of place. However, high heels can have an impact on more than simply achy muscles. Here are some of the other things they can do:
The feet:
The feet are perhaps the most visible of all the bodily parts that high heels harm. The weight carried by the footwear is determined by the height of the heel. The pressure on the front and ball of the foot, for example, increases as the heel rises. This ranges from a one-inch heel, which adds 22 percent pressure to your feet, to three-inch heels, which can raise the pressure on your feet by up to 76 percent!
At its most basic level, a heel will prevent your feet from functioning properly. Heels, which have been defined as ill-fitting footwear, can cause joint illnesses, bunions, calluses, ingrown toenails, hammertoe deformities, and just about every other foot-related condition you can think of.
Kneecaps:
Because wearing heels shifts your weight to the balls of your feet, your knees are frequently pressed forward in order to maintain your balance, resulting in increased stress. There have been studies that suggest that if your joints are misaligned, you are more likely to develop arthritis. When it comes to wearing heels, podiatrists agree that the knees are put out of whack.
Hips:
Apart from your feet, the majority of your postural alignment is determined by your hips. When you wear heels, on the other hand, your hips are forced into a fixed position, often thrusting forward again, putting more pressure on the balls of your feet. The type of leg movement you perform is mostly determined by your hips. This can cause pain not just in the hips, but also in the interior of your legs, buttocks, and hamstrings. When your hip is in an abnormal position, you lose control of your entire posture, which can contribute to further back, neck, leg, and foot pain.
How do Chiropractors Lend Their Help?
Chiropractors are known for their alignment skills that help people when they are dealing with poor posture and pain. When it comes to high heels, they are able to provide a few different services that can help.
First, they will be able to take a look at your current footwear situation and make suggestions for more comfortable options that will not cause as much harm to your feet, hips, and spine.
Secondly, they can provide you with exercises and stretches that can help to offset the damage that has been done by heels. These will help to improve your posture and range of motion, as well as alleviate some of the pain that has been caused.
Lastly, chiropractors can provide you with advice on how to best take care of your feet, hips, and spine when you do choose to wear heels. This includes tips on how to walk correctly in them and how to avoid further injury.
While there is no way to completely eliminate the risk of pain when wearing high heels, following the advice of a chiropractor can help you to minimize it. At Peak Potential Family Chiropractic - Houston Heights, we are always here to help! Schedule an appointment today.
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