High Heels- Longer legs, a more elegant silhouette, and a walk exuding sex appeal. When you slip into a pair of towering heels, something magical happens to your self-confidence. But most of us would cry with relief when we kick them off at the end of a long day. So it comes as no surprise to learn about the damage they do.
Latest figures from the College of Podiatry show 9 in 10 UK women suffer from foot problems at some point (around 20 million), with almost half admitting to wearing shoes that are uncomfortable... for the sake of fashion. Some 42% of women have had accidents in their heels - TV presenter Carol Vorderman broke her nose in a fall.
A survey of UK podiatrists revealed that unsuitable footwear is the leading cause of foot problems they see in their patients. And according to our gruesome graphic, high heels can affect everything from your back to your battered toes.
Andrea Sott, a consultant orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon at St Anthony's Hospital in Surrey, says:
'Damage caused by wearing heels can be permanent. People who wear heels all day walk differently when barefoot as a result. It can lead to metatarsalgia and other painful conditions like plantar fasciitis, when tissue on the sole gets inflamed.'
Our backs suffer, too, due to how heels alter the natural alignment of our bodies, and can cause serious spinal pain. And once the spine is out of kilter, the pelvis follows, and a 'sexy' walk becomes a hobble to the chiropractor's surgery.
Our feet are an extraordinary feat of engineering - with a quarter of all the bones in the human body. Each has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.
So how can you spot the heels which will cause greatest damage to your feet?
So how can you spot the heels which will cause greatest damage to your feet?
Their designer Christian Louboutin even claims most women have a 'quasi-masochistic experience' with their stilettos. The higher the heel, the greater the pressure - and the pain. So those 6-inch Louboutins might make you wince.
Chris Walker, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Liverpool's Bone and Joint Centre, says: 'If you tried to bring out any other product this dangerous, it just wouldn't be allowed on the market.
'Now the fashion is for 6 to 8 inch heels, women fall from a greater height, and the foot is pointing right down towards the floor, so when they slip it tends to twist right back underneath the shin bone. They don't just break the ankle, they shatter it.'
So for our feet's sake, perhaps it's time to switch to comfy shoes instead.
'Now the fashion is for 6 to 8 inch heels, women fall from a greater height, and the foot is pointing right down towards the floor, so when they slip it tends to twist right back underneath the shin bone. They don't just break the ankle, they shatter it.'
So for our feet's sake, perhaps it's time to switch to comfy shoes instead.
Source: MailOnline
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