THESE DAYS as you walk down the street, and wherever you are, a number of women are fond of wearing high heeled stilettos, high heeled boots and even high heeled wedges and sneakers.The reason? They wanted to feel and look sexy, others, they simply wanted to add some height.
In Korea, Winter is just around the corner and everyone is wearing heavy clothes. However, women who care about fashion will hardly give up on clothes that reveal their “great body shape.” That is why killer-heeled boots sell like hot cakes every winter. With winter almost here, shoe companies are now introducing their new line to attract consumers.
These boots, however, are the archenemy of joints. As women are well aware of how dangerous it is to fall down in high-heeled boots, they walk with great effort, making their muscles get stressed and worn out. If you wear high-heeled shoes for too long, you not only strain your joints and spine but also deform your feet.
When we walk on high heels, over 90 percent of our weight is put on the top of the foot and the big toes, which can in turn cause “hallux valgus” with the big toe bent inwards. When your big toe is bent at the angle of more than 20 degrees, you are diagnosed with hallux valgus. If you wear shoes with crooked toes, it may cause inflammation to the toes, leading to pain when you wear them.
You should also be careful of “ankle sprain.” Ankle sprain refers to a joint problem caused by either stretching or tearing a ligament. As your ankles are overly strained when in high-heeled shoes, ankles are stressed much more when you lose your footing. As you repeat such experience, the cartilage of the ankle is damaged, which might develop into “ankle arthritis.”
In addition, high-heeled shoes impose strain on your knees, weakening the cartilage and causing “chondromalacia.” The cartilage, or the soft bone surrounding the knee joint, diminishes the friction coming from bending and stretching of the knee and supports the joint. However, if the cartilage is continuously under pressure, it becomes softer, discolored, and eventually erodes until it is gone. As women have weaker thigh muscles and smaller knee joints than men, women are exposed to bigger shocks when they walk. The shock gets concentrated inside the knee joints and the high-heeled shoes do nothing but worsen it.
Keum Sa-hyang, famous for not only her song “Miss Hong Kong” but also for being the first Korean singer to wear high-heeled shoes, had to get artificial knee joints at the Wellton Bone and Joint Hospital in 2010. The 85-year-old Keum was a big fan of high-heeled shoes since she was young and wore them for every performance. In the end, she was diagnosed with degenerative arthritis when she was in her 40s. Her symptom was so serious that she could not walk without a cane and she would need someone else to actually carry her on their back if she had to move long distances. The case of Keum is a good example of how bad high-heeled shoes are for joints.
In restaurants, I sometimes see women trying to get out of their long boots. Such boots covering the calves pressure the legs. Particularly, “thigh-high boots” that cover the thighs and the “span boots” that tightly cover the legs interrupt the blood circulation, eventually causing “varicose veins.” When you have varicose veins, you see your venous capillaries appearing curvy and uneven on the surface of the skin.
How about wearing ugg-style boots? Women enjoy wearing them because they believe their feet get relaxed and warm in the boots. However, if the sponge on the bottom of the boots is either too soft or hard, it might cause “plantar fasciitis” when you wear the boots too long. There are fasciae in your feet and they absorb shocks the soles of the feet. You get plantar fasciitis when you use these fasciae excessively.
If you want to wear boots, I recommend wearing them for no longer than five to six hours a day. When buying boots, choose ones that give at least one to three centimeters of slack around the calves so that your ankles can move comfortably. When you get home, massage the feet with cold and hot water to relieve foot fatigue as fast as possible. This way, you will prevent pain beforehand. When you are in bed, place your feet higher than the heart for better blood circulation and relaxing of the joint.
Shoes complete fashion, and they are means for women to express their personality. However, I am sure that they would not want to ruin their health. I would like to suggest to them to have second thoughts about high-heeled shoes. Joints easily get hurt and it definitely takes a longer time to recover once the damage is done.
The weather has turned cold but staying home all day long would weaken your joints, thereby increasing the risk of injuries. Do moderate indoor exercises or jogging. However, don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes for your own sake.
These boots, however, are the archenemy of joints. As women are well aware of how dangerous it is to fall down in high-heeled boots, they walk with great effort, making their muscles get stressed and worn out. If you wear high-heeled shoes for too long, you not only strain your joints and spine but also deform your feet.
When we walk on high heels, over 90 percent of our weight is put on the top of the foot and the big toes, which can in turn cause “hallux valgus” with the big toe bent inwards. When your big toe is bent at the angle of more than 20 degrees, you are diagnosed with hallux valgus. If you wear shoes with crooked toes, it may cause inflammation to the toes, leading to pain when you wear them.
You should also be careful of “ankle sprain.” Ankle sprain refers to a joint problem caused by either stretching or tearing a ligament. As your ankles are overly strained when in high-heeled shoes, ankles are stressed much more when you lose your footing. As you repeat such experience, the cartilage of the ankle is damaged, which might develop into “ankle arthritis.”
In addition, high-heeled shoes impose strain on your knees, weakening the cartilage and causing “chondromalacia.” The cartilage, or the soft bone surrounding the knee joint, diminishes the friction coming from bending and stretching of the knee and supports the joint. However, if the cartilage is continuously under pressure, it becomes softer, discolored, and eventually erodes until it is gone. As women have weaker thigh muscles and smaller knee joints than men, women are exposed to bigger shocks when they walk. The shock gets concentrated inside the knee joints and the high-heeled shoes do nothing but worsen it.
Keum Sa-hyang, famous for not only her song “Miss Hong Kong” but also for being the first Korean singer to wear high-heeled shoes, had to get artificial knee joints at the Wellton Bone and Joint Hospital in 2010. The 85-year-old Keum was a big fan of high-heeled shoes since she was young and wore them for every performance. In the end, she was diagnosed with degenerative arthritis when she was in her 40s. Her symptom was so serious that she could not walk without a cane and she would need someone else to actually carry her on their back if she had to move long distances. The case of Keum is a good example of how bad high-heeled shoes are for joints.In restaurants, I sometimes see women trying to get out of their long boots. Such boots covering the calves pressure the legs. Particularly, “thigh-high boots” that cover the thighs and the “span boots” that tightly cover the legs interrupt the blood circulation, eventually causing “varicose veins.” When you have varicose veins, you see your venous capillaries appearing curvy and uneven on the surface of the skin.
How about wearing ugg-style boots? Women enjoy wearing them because they believe their feet get relaxed and warm in the boots. However, if the sponge on the bottom of the boots is either too soft or hard, it might cause “plantar fasciitis” when you wear the boots too long. There are fasciae in your feet and they absorb shocks the soles of the feet. You get plantar fasciitis when you use these fasciae excessively.
If you want to wear boots, I recommend wearing them for no longer than five to six hours a day. When buying boots, choose ones that give at least one to three centimeters of slack around the calves so that your ankles can move comfortably. When you get home, massage the feet with cold and hot water to relieve foot fatigue as fast as possible. This way, you will prevent pain beforehand. When you are in bed, place your feet higher than the heart for better blood circulation and relaxing of the joint.
Shoes complete fashion, and they are means for women to express their personality. However, I am sure that they would not want to ruin their health. I would like to suggest to them to have second thoughts about high-heeled shoes. Joints easily get hurt and it definitely takes a longer time to recover once the damage is done.
The weather has turned cold but staying home all day long would weaken your joints, thereby increasing the risk of injuries. Do moderate indoor exercises or jogging. However, don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes for your own sake.
Credits:
By Song Sang-ho
President of Wellton Bone & Joint Hospital
President of Wellton Bone & Joint Hospital
