High Heels Are the Devil & Now There's Scientific Proof

high heels
high heels

A brave scientist in Australia was motivated to study the effect that high heels have on feet after seeing a woman teeter precariously in her stilettos. Using a group of women with the average age of 25, Neil J. Cronin and his fellow biomechanic researchers studied the difference between chronic heel wearers (women who've worn heels for more than 40 hours a week for more than two years) versus non-heel wearers (ladies who generally wear flats), and the proof was in the pudding. Or should I say, the proof was in the footing.

More from The Stir: This Woman Has 1,200 Pairs of Shoes (VIDEO)

The high heel wearers' feet, calves, muscles, and tendons were royally messed up. Even when they took off their shoes, they habitually walked less efficiently than those women who generally wear flats.

Told you heels were the devil.

Basically, heel wearers tire more easily than the flat wearers -- their calf muscles have been shortened and strained by all those hours keeping their feet perpetually flexed in their shoes and their toes forever pointed.

Bottom line? Rocking those towering heels will make you more susceptible to muscle and joint strains. The solution to that problem is simple -- wear heels less often. I know it's easier said than done for some women who can't leave the house without two or three inches between their foot and the ground, but it might be worth it in the long run.

More from The Stir: Do Toning Shoes Really Work? A Look at the Evidence

What Cronin and his colleagues failed to address, however, is that heels are not only dangerous, but impractical, uncomfortable, and should be burned. I'm not a big heel wearer because here in New York, there's too much walking to do to be bothered with any sort of discomfort. I gotta be on the move, yo! No time to waste complaining about my dogs barkin'.

Heels have a time and a place, but I don't think they're worth their pain, and now that we know they're hazardous to our health, let's just all agree to show off our natural height in some cute flats and call it a day.

How do you stay comfortable when wearing heels?

Photo via muohace/Flickr

Written by Lindsay Mannering for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.

More from The Stir:

What's Uglier Than Crocs?

$200,000 Pair of Shoes: Perfect for a Stripper!

Pregnant in Heels: Yes or No?

Comfortable High Heels: We Found Five Pairs!