High heels elongate the legs and make anyone look instantly slimmer. However, wearing this fashionable footwear every day frequently results in a variety of foot disorders. The podiatrist at Deer Creek Foot Care in O’Fallon, MO, notes these disorders are in addition to back, leg, and hip pain because of the increased weight and pressure on the balls of the feet.

What the Podiatrist Wants You to Know About High Heels

Hammertoe

Cosmetic problems can occur from wearing high heels regularly because of the increased forward pressure on your toes. This can result in permanent downward bending known as hammertoe, or where the second, third, and fourth middle toe joints can no longer straighten. They remain this way even when you are not wearing shoes.

Shortened Achilles Tendons & Pinched Nerves

Continuous foot elevation and serious weight on the balls of feet eventually shorten the Achilles tendons, or the tendons connecting heel and calf muscles. This is why many older women who have worn high heels their whole lives cannot wear flat shoes comfortably. Consistent wear can also cause a painful pinched nerve condition called Morton’s neuroma that makes you feel like there’s a permanent stone in your shoe.

Bony Enlargements

Continual high heel wear can result in bony enlargements such as Haglund’s deformity or “pump bump.” This foot disorder occurs when the shoes’ straps or backs aggravate the heel. It can also cause heel spurs, or when calcium builds up on heel bones. Bunions, also known as bony, swollen bumps on the sides of big toes, may form from constant pressure as well.

Joint Pain

Most, if not all, of your body weight is on the balls of your feet depending on heel height, which often makes it difficult to walk after wearing pumps for several hours. According to this podiatrist, prolonged wear eventually causes serious joint pain in this area because natural foot cushioning has worn away. This condition, known medically as Metatarsalgia, can also occur from wearing thin flip-flop sandals for years.

If you wear heels regularly and experience severe foot pain, contact the podiatrist at Deer Creek Foot Care. He will recommend stretches and treatments to get you walking again without discomfort. Call (636) 240-1127 to schedule an appointment or visit the foot doctor online for more tips and information.