Shoes and back pain

From the examiner.com
Let’s face it ladies, every single one of us is likely guilty of owning AT LEAST one pair of heels that give us the firm shapely calves, juicy butt and lofty height we crave while screaming “come and get me boys”. And each and every one of us rues the day a man decided to put a woman in heels as we hobble torn, blistered, swollen and tender for the next day (or three). Common sense should kick in at some point here and cause us to forego the whole lot. We never do, likely never will and really, what harm could there be?

A lot.

The most common issues include blisters, corns, calluses, and bunions and nearly every woman who wears heels for any length of time has at least one.

For those who wear them more regularly problems progress to include ankle sprains, stretched ligaments, chronic pain in the ball of the foot (metatarsalgia), achilles tendonitis and lower back pain due to incorrect posture.

Progress further to women who are never caught dead in flats and ailments include neuromas (benign nerve tumors), loss of arch integrity and “pump bump”. Women who wear heels even on a semi regular basis also run a greatly increased risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee, contributing a huge number of the 300,000 patients submitted for knee replacement every year. Some of these conditions take as little as one wear to occur. The more sever may take months, years or decades to appear.

How high is too high?

Most experts agree that heels greater than 2 inches in height as well as heels with a width of less than ¾ inch are to be avoided to the greatest extent possible, especially in situations where they will be worn for more than a couple of hours. Podiatrists also recommend the following:

- Wearing flat shoes for walking distances and changing into heels once arriving at your destination.

- Take smaller steps and try to place your heel first, in a gliding step.

- Buy short, chunky heels for all day wear.

- Avoid open backed shoes.

- Avoid pointed toe shoes to allow toes to maintain a natural shape and placement.

- Practice stretching, joint mobility exercises and soak or massage feet to ease the discomfort.

- Lastly, if suffering from pain more than twice a week, seek medical advices, as foot problems get progressively harder to treat as then become chronic.

Also of great concern is the growing number of girls and young women who are being treated for high heel related foot conditions. Girls are young as 10 years old are being treated for compression injuries, ligament and tendon conditions, back and knee pain and can suffer for years to come as a result of these injuries. Sustaining injuries to growing bones and joints can cause developmental restrictions and permanent damage. Growth plates of the knees, feet and hips are typically fused around age 16, so wearing heels, especially very high or narrow heels, can cause serious problems in the future.

Heels are not the only culprits

Flat shoes can be just as harmful as heels. Flat shoes with no support structure, such as slippers, ballet shoes and flip flops, cause different but equally harmful changes in gait and posture. Unstructured flats cause the foot to roll forward and stretch ligaments in the foot which causes incorrect toe alignment and can lead to bunions as well. Flip flops and slings create shuffling rather than walking gaits and (aside from being incredibly obnoxious to listen to) cause poor posture and weakening of core muscles. Shoes with arch support, natural foot shape, heel containment and one half to one inch of sole are recommended for flat footwear.

Options to ease the suffering

Buy shoes that fit. Most women suffer unnecessary pain as a result of wearing shoes up to a size too small. Get fitted at a reputable shoe store and be conscious of the width of your foot, arch height and the swelling that occurs naturally as the day wears on.

Shop in the afternoon or evening after a typical day of activity so that your foot is in the condition in which the most comfort is desired.

Purchase inserts. Dr. Scholl’s makes clear gel inserts and heel guards to prevent every day soreness and rubbing.

Custom orthotics can be costly, but will also greatly improve posture, correct gait and support the arch.

Do not wear shoes you can’t walk in. It doesn’t matter how cute it is, if you wobble for more than a step or two, the heel is too high and/or narrow and begs for injury. And trying to walk but looking like a toddler all over again this way takes away from the feminine grace that is the point of the exercise.

Compromise on heels around two inches in height and ensure a chunky rather than slender heel.

If you simply have to have more height, try a platform or wedge. While this will not alleviate the stress injuries, it will reduce much of the wobbling which can cause traumatic injury. Just get used to the difference in walking in rigid shoes before venturing out into the world.

Author: Angela Bowen
Angela Bowen is an Examiner from Phoenix. You can see Angela's articles on Angela's Home Page
This is a vital subject, to me. So many people are causing harm to themselves through the use of poor footwear. There is more on shoes and back pain at www.ackpainloss.com
Paul