Beauty Hurts: What High Heels Can Do To Your Feet
By Shira Scott, GalTime.com
We all know beauty often comes at a cost. And when it comes to looking good, those sexy, high heels are making women pay big time. According to a recent study, 39% of us wear high heels every day and regular foot pain is part of the deal. In fact, 75% of regular heel wearers admit to suffering from bunions, hammer toes, calluses and/or plantar warts.
Related: How to Wear High Heels
No surprise that heel height is the biggest culprit. The higher the heel, the more your toes bend up and the bigger the chance the shoe padding will move forward, exposing more bone to the bottom of the shoes. This can lead to plantar fasciitis, tight calf muscles and Achilles tendonitis, according to Dr. Pedro Cosculluela, an orthopedic surgeon with The Methodist Hospital in Houston.
The size of the toe box is also a major problem. Yes, squishing your toes into your favorite pointy shoes is not a good health decision. Small toe boxes can lead to toe deformities.
Bunions are the most common problem. A bunion is a big bump on the inside of the big toe, around the joint. When a bunion becomes permanent (which is often) it's not only painful, but can cause other foot issues.
"As the deformity worsens, the big toe loses its ability to properly carry the load, which can lead to increase pressure along two through five. This can, in turn, lead to pain and cause hammertoes and cross-over toe deformities," Cosculluela said. "This, and other foot problems women experience because of poor shoe wear, do not happen overnight. It's a gradual process that can happen over a period of years."
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You can't get rid of a bunion without surgery (recommended in severe cases), but you can do things to ease the pain. You can place toe pads over the bunions and use toe separators to help help keep the big toe where it belongs.
"There is a simple test to find out if your shoes will fit before you buy them. Take a pen and draw around your bare foot," Cosculluela said. "Put the shoe over the drawing, if your toes stick out of the shoe, they are too small and you might want to try a bigger pair than will cause you much less discomfort."
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