I heard on the radio during the week that recent research shows that of the two sexes, women are more prone to suffering from lower back pain primarily because of wearing high heels.
Personally, I can vouch for this. I used to run around in 3-4 inch heels nearly every work day. They weren’t quite Christian Louboutins though 😉 After a while, I noticed that I had a dull pain in my lower back area and on my knees. When I lowered the height of everyday shoes to 2 inches or slightly less, the pain was alleviated somewhat. I still get twinges now and again if I try to be glam and wear heels that are too high for too long.
High heels (or very high heels) throw your body shape out of whack. Just pay attention the next time you step into your stilettos or high heels. You will notice all of the following:-
- Body is thrown forward and you have to use your back muscles to pull it back so you stand straight. This puts pressure on your lower back.
- Toes are pushed forward and squashed
- Pressure on the knees
Do you notice these? There are even more problems associated with what you wear on your feet than I thought possible. High heels are known to be bad, and I’ve found that flats without support aren’t much better!
This article from the Daily Mail UK sums up most if not all the problems one can encounter by constantly wearing high heels including shortening of tendons and bunions and hammertoe which could even need surgery. A friend told me of a 60 year old lady she knew who could not wear any shoe lower than 3 inches even at home because her tendons had shortened to such a degree that wearing flats were agony. The danger of a 60 year old still tottering around in 3 inch heels is a rather scary thought.
These days, I rotate my workday shoes – sometimes wearing heels, sometimes flats and I wear heels of varying heights. That way, I figure my legs don’t get stuck in a rut and my back and knees have stopped hurting too. Evening functions or cocktails still call for that sexy pair of stilettos but at least its not something I’m tottering around in on a daily basis.
Are you willing to give up high heels for your back? Tell me what you think 🙂
Stay healthy
Paris B
i always end up buying heels when it comes to shoes shopping. they are just so tempting! hih.
but if i need to do a shopping marathon, i’ll prefer flat! then i can shop longer. daily work – rotate heels at different heights. 🙂
NOOOOO never!! Coz I’m 5’2”….=P For me, the higher the better…lol!
well, i wear only 1 – 1.5 inches heels for diary life.
heels higher than that will only be worn on special occasions.
but most of the time i prefer flats.
however, i once heard a recommendation from a doctor that said you can wear ur fav high heels for like 3 days a week, that’s still ok, but not 7 days a week.
ermm…I like the effect heels give me…but agreed on the side effects. I usually try to stick to a more reasonable height rather than those towering 4″+ heels, but for special occasions…oh damn, my feet (and back) are dead!
ya, i never really used to high heels, just wear them when i have to walk much-wedding dinner etc… i will have lower back ache after wearing heels, esp those which are not really sturdy.
I love my killer stilettos! But lately (this year, to be exact) I notice my knees giving me signs that I can’t wear 3-4″ heels on a daily basis – so now I rotate with shoes of different heights and flats/sport shoes on weekends. Couldn’t bear to think of giving up my heels completely though! 😀
Heels are a necessity! T_T
I wear heels to work almost everyday. Come in to work in my boots (3 inch), change to another pair of shoes (2 inch). When the snow arrives, I’m wearing flat boots and Ugg (I know a lot of people think Ugg boots are ugly but they keep my feet so warm in winter). In the summer, it’s all about flats.
definitely I will!
I don’t wear high heels frequently, dunno how to walk fast on it and I am a fast walker..lol
no no no!
I was forced to wear high heels at work in a corporate environment for about 25 years. I normally wore 3 and 4 inch heels figuring I would at least look attractive if I had to wear them. After I got a new job working from home, i stopped wearing the heels but my feet were killing me even more than when I wore them. I went to the doctor and he told me that wearing the heels changed my feet and that the only shoes that would be comfortable now would be heels. So I’m now cursed. When going anywhere away from home where I expect to do any wakling, I have to wear the spiked heels or my feet hurt. And now the more i wear them the more my feet will change and my doctor said eventually it will hurt to walk at all without the heels, so now I am really stuck wearing them the rest of my life.
Never….ever… ok…maybe when I reach age 65…. oh I dont know… life without high heels… I cant imagin it….! My heels have been used to identify me… ‘the lady that wears the very high heel shoes’ Though I do know all the cons, and at the hospital where I work, I have all the health professionals nagging me daily… some just shake there heads in disbelief that someone can actually wear heels that high all the time!! But u get the pic.