High-Heeled Platform Shoes Causes Back-Pain

By Lydia Ismail

Stylish women love high-heeled shoes but they are actually a nightmare to walk in.
These shoes can go as high as 15 cm (6 inches) and the front end can be about 2 inches high. Because they are many times heavier than normal shoes, they pose extra burden to the legs and cause unsteady footing and balance.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell once lost her balance in 8-inch platforms and tumbled on the runway. So much for making a fashion statement in platforms!

Victoria Beckham was reported (June 2007) to paying the price for constantly wearing stiletto shoes. She candidly confessed that her feet were giving her a headache. “I always wear stilettos but they have given me awful feet,” she said.
There you have it – wearing stilettos or high-heeled shoes for long periods of time can result in foot and ankle problems that include bunions, heel pain, and painful trapped nerves. Cramming toes into narrow pointed-toe shoes can cause corns, calluses and toe deformities.
Even small missteps in high heels can have disastrous results, and women are most likely to suffer a sprained ankle while walking in high heels.

Frequent wearing of high heels can also damage the Achilles tendon over time. Not surprisingly, women make up about 75% of the 2 million Americans suffering heel pain. A study by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) indicates that this can be traced to a shortening of the Achilles tendon in high-heel wearers.
In fact, permanent shortening of calf muscles and the Achilles tendon is the first problem that women who wear heels for a long period of time (6 months to a year) face.

This creates discomfort when the muscles are stretched in flat shoes. That is why frequent high-heel wearers often find flat shoes uncomfortable.
From Europe to Asia, it is reported that high-heeled shoes have left many older women with a legacy of foot problems. Among them is a condition called hallux valgus, in which the joint between the foot and the big toe becomes deformed, leads to pain, walking difficulties and ultimately surgical correction for some.

High heels have also been proven to create back problems. For our body to balance, our center of mass must be located over a stable base. High heels throw the center of mass forward, putting more pressure on the ball of the foot and on already cramped toes.
Well-known Singaporean model Hanis Hussey once revealed that she wore high heels for 10 years before her back gave out.
“I had an x-ray done and it showed a weak lower back. The doctor asked me if I was in the habit of wearing very high heels,” she was quoted as saying in The Straits Times (Singapore).

Lydia Ismail is a writer, who writes about issues that affect our health, lifestyle and well-being. Her first ebook titled "The Fashion Crap" certainly ruffles up some feathers in blogs and forums. It discusses fashion that can hurt, maim and kill. Lydia can be reached at http://www.fashioncrap.com and her blog at http://www.verygoodtips.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lydia_Ismail