High stilettos may increase women's risk of acute, chronic problems

Melbourne, Apr 6 (ANI): Modern women's penchant for high heels is putting them at a higher risk of acute and chronic problems.

With the increasing popularity of high heels shortening of the Achilles tendon, heel pain, pain in the balls of the feet, bunions, calluses, soft corns between the toes, fractures, and sprains have also become quite common.

Podiatrist and spokesperson for Australian Podiatry Association (NSW), Brenden Brown said that wearing stiletto heels brings a raft of acute and chronic problems.

"Out of 10 people you would see six or seven needing something due to the fact they have worn a high heel at some stage," the Daily Telegraph quoted Brown as saying.

"We are seeing more traumatic injuries with things like fractures, sprains of ligaments in the ankles," Brown added.

According to Dr Simon Floreani, spokesperson, Chiropractors' Association of Australia, high heels are also responsible for lower back problems.

"When you are in high heels it throws your posture forward, like you are standing on your tippy toes, so in order to stand up straight you have to over extend the lower back," he said.

Moreover, shortening of calf muscles also creates a jamming effect in the lower back.

"If any woman has had more than a decade of wearing constant high heels, she will have arthritic changes," said Floreani.

Addiction to heels also gives rise to neck problems.

"When you arch the lower back you usually stoop and roll the shoulders and crane the neck. It's like if the foundations of a house get shifted, the roof and the walls and everything else compensates," he said.

Even platform shoes have their own array of problems.

"When you wear platform wedges, you are effectively stilt walking because you have no flex in your foot. It creates a different type of jarring up the leg and spine," he says.

As a result knee injuries can be common, he adds.

Dr Floreani suggests whether it's platforms or stilettos, it is wiser to use silicon inserts to cushion the impact on the joints in the feet. (ANI)