High heels can, for example, elicit foot and lower back pain due to the fact that they change the body’s normal balance. To correct this condition, the body is forced to lean backward putting significant pressure on the vertebrae of the lower segments of the spine causing lower back pain for some, even after wearing high heels only for a short time. In addition, since the contact with the ground is very small, further adjustments need to be made in order to maintain your balance.
On the other extreme is the footwear, such as flip-flops or thongs and ballerina shoes that have no heels whatsoever. These can also cause pain since they are missing the necessary padding. There the spine is put under stronger axial forces since the stronger reverberations from the soles spread upward toward the back. While high heels cause the pelvis to lean too far backward, flat shoes cause it to lean too far forward. Both may cause spinal and lower back pain.
What do you suggest to those who would not willingly like to give up wearing fashionable, elegant high heeled shoes?
High-heeled shoes need not be entirely eliminated from a woman’s everyday wardrobe, but, attention needs to be paid as to how and when to wear them. For example, they should not be worn for more than a few hours a day. Take a pair of light shoes to change into. If a job requires the woman to be dressed in a suit that requires high heels, she can still walk and drive in comfortable shoes and change into high heels once in the office.
It is important to keep in mind when shopping, that the shoes be not only fashionable but also comfortable, ensure even balance, and, as far as possible, reduce the load on the joints. The good shoe is the one that is the proper size for the wearer, is not too wide but neither is it too tight, supports but does not squeeze the foot, has enough room for movement, does not obstruct blood circulation and the heel is of medium height. The shoe that provides the most even loading for the foot is one with a 3-5 cm heel.
It is also important to change the footwear often! We should not wear the same shoe for weeks and months on end (men often forget this!) or wear someone else’s shoe, that comes with a different wear and tear than our own.
There are some very simple and easy exercises to strengthen the forefoot and ankle muscles in order to better withstand the weight bearing. For example, tighten your big toe as if you were going to screw it into the ground. Hold it for ten seconds and then relax. Repeat this five times. Then, putting your weight on a golf ball, hold it under the arch of your foot for a little while – this little exercise helps maintain the arch of your foot. While vacationing, you can exercise your toes by writing in the sand or picking up a towel with the toes.
You also mentioned the purse. A simple, stylish woman’s purse can also cause problems?
Today’s purse fashion is in its heyday, not only because of its unlimited sizes and styles but also because its contents keep growing. The inappropriate purse can indeed provoke pain in the shoulder, neck, lower back and the back. Not many women think about the purse’s weight affecting posture. If a purse’s weight is more than ten percent of a woman’s body weight, then it should not be worn on one shoulder. In these cases comfort should come before fashion.
It is advisable to regularly remove any unnecessary items from the purses and to wear ones with long straps that can be worn across the chest to the opposite shoulder thus spreading the weight unto both shoulders. Purses with shorter straps should be worn on alternate shoulders.
What about clothes?
This may come as a surprise, but inappropriate clothing can also provoke back and lower back pain. Clothing that is too tight can affect your balance since as a result of the slowed chest movement we continually try to help our breathing by trying to find the comfortable posture. If the clothes are too loose, the result is sloppy posture. The ideal clothes are the ones that fit our bodies properly.
