In the winter, suffering a fall is a much easier prospect due to the possible buildup of ice, and you’re not doing yourself any favors by wearing high heels as you go about your day. However, there are certainly going to be persons out there who insist upon wearing high heels on a regular basis, even amid icy conditions, and that’s why we thought it’d be important to relate a new report out of the United Kingdom. In it, the author explores some of those issues that extensive heel usage could create and what could be done to avoid such stresses.
Because you’re not going to be able to achieve balance throughout your foot, the chance of the heel and the foot slipping out from beneath you will increase. If the heel itself gets caught, then the sudden twisting motion this can create can cause an ankle injury that may necessitate a check-up with a doctor.
The most obvious type of damage that can result even without a fall is pain within the individual’s foot. Because the back of the shoe is going to be pushing your heel up in the air, this is necessarily going to put excessive strain on the front of the food. Without balance throughout your entire foot, it becomes far easier to fall, but even when that isn’t the case, your toes can develop a slew of injuries, with bunions and hammer toes not uncommon.
The pain doesn’t just stop at your feet, though. The author at the link above points to research which has found that regular high heel usage can contribute to stiffer Achilles tendons and shorter calf muscles. That’s because an alteration to your gait changes the entire way that you walk, and those muscles are not receiving the type of attention they otherwise would. This can even lead to knee issues in the form of osteoarthritis of the patellofemoral joint. Back pain also becomes a possibility.
Moderation is going to be the key to injury prevention; you shouldn’t wear high heels every day. More than just that, you should also understand the importance of a stretching and strengthening regimen. When you work out, make sure to pay attention to your legs, strengthening those areas like the gluts that will make walking easier and stretching those portions of your body that may get sore due to high heel usage.
Finally, when an injury like a sprain or strain does occur, or you simply feel excessively sore, make sure to take the heels off and rest your body. Place ice on the affected area while compressing it, making sure that you’re elevating that portion of the body as well. RICE really can help you in this regard.