Flat Facts About High Heels

Women know high heels aren't good for their feet, and they don't deny that they're uncomfortable. But the fact is, women would continue to wear high heels, even though they did not think them comfortable. Mark it up to the price of beauty.

Feet aren't made for heels, despite what you're willing to tolerate as a lover of heels, you may be underestimating the damage that high heels can cause, beyond just having sore feet at the end of the day.

Not surprisingly, doctors of podiatric medicine (foot doctors) and orthopaedic surgeons see no value in high heels, which they generally define as pumps with heels of more than two inches. While most high-heel fans aren't so willing to totally abandon their high pumps, studies indicates that many might be willing to make some adjustments - to a point.

Wearing high heels can cause alluses and heel pain were the top shoe-related foot ailments. Women also complain about such conditions as bunions, swelling of the joint at the base of the big toe; hammertoes, a permanent bend in the middle joint of a toe; neuromas, nerve problems that cause shooting pain into the toes; ingrown toenails; and even stress fractures.

Bony problems can happen where the toes are starting to curl up from being in a narrow or pointed toe box. Probably the patient with the ugliest feet is a dancer because she's wearing toe shoes or high heels for dancing. Bony problems are such a big part of foot problems that podiatrists even have a high-heel nickname for one condition - a pump bump.

Nail problems also are common from the constant pressure of toes being pressed against the end of the shoe. That can cause the nail to thicken and promote the growth of foul-smelling fungus. Plus, if a person has curved toenails, it can induce or exacerbate painful in-grown nails.

So you see, wearing heels isn't so fab. It can cause the ugliest and nastiest things to your toes, and it may even cause permanent damage. So much for paying the price for beauty, think about your hygiene and the future outcome of present glamour. If you want to be good to your feet, perhaps the best shoe you can buy from an orthopedic point of view is a walking shoe with ties (not a slip-on), a Vibram-type composition sole and a relatively wider heel, no more than a half or three-quarters of an inch in height. Yes, it's dull, but totally safe.