High heels might be fashionable, but wearing them too frequently can take a toll on your feet. While you’re probably familiar with the foot pain that comes along with wearing heels, you might not know about the specific medical risks that these shoes can present. Here’s an overview of how wearing heels can affect your feet over time, and what you can do to mitigate potential long-term foot issues. 

How High Heels Can Impact Your Feet

Arthritis

If you wear high heels on a regular basis, you’re more vulnerable to developing arthritis in your feet. Between the structure of the shoe and how body weight is distributed while standing and walking, the cartilage between the many joints in your feet slowly wears down over time. This in turn leads to stiffness, swelling, and foot pain, which can make even the shortest walks feel excruciating.

Ingrown Toenails

Closed-toe pumps can crowd your toes in a manner that leads to ingrown toenails. This condition can cause pain and swelling around your toenails, and put you at risk of an infection.

Sprained Ankles

When you wear high heels, an imbalance is created between your heel and the ball of your foot, which puts extra pressure on your ankle. The additional pressure will not only cause ankle pain, but it can also increase your likelihood of falling and spraining it.

How to Prevent Damage from High Heels

Avoid Wearing Heels All Day

It isn’t a good idea to wear high heels for more than a few hours at a time. If you’re going to an event that you will have them on for more than three or four hours, bring an extra pair of flats to change into, to give your feet a break.

Select a Platform Heel or Wedges

If you like to wear high heels often, choose a pair with a platform heel. Platform heels raise the ball of the foot, so that it’s more in-line with your heel. This ultimately minimizes the pressure on your toes and ankles, as your weight is distributed more evenly for each foot. Likewise, a pair of wedges is better equipped to support even weight distribution because of how the structure of this shoe type better aligns the ball of the foot with your heel.

Stretch Your Feet

If you’re experiencing foot pain from wearing heels, try doing foot stretches throughout the day. You can also massage the balls of your feet by stepping on a tennis ball and rolling it around the base of each foot. This will alleviate any foot pain and tension you might be experiencing after a long day in pumps. 

If you’re dealing with heel, ankle or foot pain, turn to Foot & Ankle Specialists in Blue Ash, OH. They provide premier podiatry services to people of all ages, and truly care about the health of your feet. Whether you need to be treated for bunions or hammertoes, they will devise an appropriate treatment plan for you. For more information about their services, call (513)-769-4408 or visit their website.