The Negative Effects Of High Heels

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Our ancestors revelled in wearing hardy and comfortable boots and shoes made out of grass and sheepskin. Function and practicality has gone flying out of the window with fashion consciousness having an all-pervasive effect.

One of the direct fall outs of this are the stilettos or high heels, which have taken the world by storm. Walk into any shoe store and you are dazzled with an exotic array of sequinned, pristine stilettos in all shapes and sizes.

Women’s fashion has overtaken the last female bastion of ‘form’, which has scored over prudence and practicality. Sandals, flip-flops, wedges with heels and the formidable peep toes have put strain on the feet like no other.

The biggest culprits are the towering 3.5-inch stilettos, which lead to corns, bumps, blisters and fractures to put it mildly. Here are some ill effects of high heels.

Negative Effects Of High Heels

Chronic Ankle Pain

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Because of the position of the foot and the heel while wearing stilettos, a number of women complain of ankle pain. The ankles are constantly under stress and the pain becomes chronic.

Some women have known to suffer from ankle fractures while wearing towering heels and walking on bumpy and uneven ground. Not just this, if you tear a muscle you are in for a long road to recovery. Most ankle fractures require surgery to restore normal function.

Knee Pain

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Because of the uneven gait, a wearer’s stride shortens and this puts enormous strain o the knee of the wearer. Some researchers have postulated that high heels are known to cause osteoarthritis of the knees though this is yet to be proved.

The Affect On Your Posture

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High heels affect the body posture, make your chest, and hips more prominent. There is an increase in the curvature of the lumbar spine. This puts a lot of stress on the lower back leading to debilitating lower back pain. This may also lead to back arthritis, which can be very painful.

High heels make you push forward, altering your centre of gravity. This causes women to bend their lower backs and puts tremendous strain on the spine and the spinal nerves. This also causes a condition known as sciatica where the nerves trigger a sharp and shooting pain right from the hip and down to the feet.

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The Best Heels To Wear

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For heel aficionados, not wearing them is like telling them not to breathe. Some style options for the ardent stiletto fan are worth considering. Wear heels with a narrow width, closer to the front and situated right under the ankle. The toe box should not be clamped or stuffy and should provide enough room for movement.

The instep should be aided with the help of snugly fitting materials provided on the shoes. This will also help you to push your feet forward in a manner that does not cram your toes or hinder their movement.

Wedges too are a good option for heel addicts. They are definitely more comfortable. Pencil heels are a strict no-no especially if you want to wear them daily.

The Good News

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A study conducted reveals that women who wear two-inch heels have a better sex life because the heels induce electrical activity in the pelvic region that plays a vital role in sexual performance. There is some hope in it for the distraught heel wearer and reader of this article.