High heels pose high pain risk
Many women love to strut their stuff in stilettos but they are called killer heels for a reason.
Looking good comes at a price as skyscraper shoes can cause serious pain and permanent harm.
Hammer toes, corns and ingrown nails are common from wearing high heels and more serious consequences include shortened calf muscles and increased pressure on knees, a common site of osteoarthritis in women.
Corrina Petric, from the Australian Podiatry Association, said high heels forced the body into an unnatural position and urged women to wear them only occasionally or risk permanent pain and damage.
"High heels affect the feet, legs and the back," she said. "The more you wear them and the longer you wear them, the greater the chance of damage.
"Wearing a heel transfers the body weight forward to the ball of the foot. Minimal weight is borne by the heel.
"Standing in high heels is like standing on a downward slope. Your body needs to lean back to correct the tilt forward."
Ms Petric, who runs a practice in Mundaring, said she often saw soft tissue pressure damage in feet, calluses, corns, badly shaped toes and ingrown nails.
In severe cases, calf muscles shortened to adapt to the heels, which made it uncomfortable to walk in flat shoes or barefoot.
A lot of damage was done when a woman was young and problems arose as they aged because damage occurred slowly over time to become persistent and sometimes permanent.
Ms Petric said an example was pressure on the ball of the foot leading to a neuroma tumour in nerves or soft tissue tears that needed surgery years later.
Perth podiatric surgeon Frank Pigliardo said there was evidence of lumbar issues from regular high-heel use but, though the high-heel shoes could exacerbate problems, there was no high-quality evidence linking them directly to foot conditions.
Rebecca Di Florio, 31, who was looking at heels in a Perth city shoe store, said she has always loved wearing high heels.
"They make you feel more sexy and complement what you're wearing and it looks better," she said.
Ms Di Florio said she knew of problems high heels caused but she'd wear them every day if she could. "Part of the reason I don't wear heels as much any more is because of how damaging they are, mainly because it hurts your feet," she said.
Ms Petric said high heels with a block or wedge heel were best because they were more stable and the lower the heel the better.
Platform heels did not let the foot bend at the ball and the extra height put the wearer at risk of falling.
"Stilettos are even more of a problem because of the small point of weight bearing at the heel," Ms Petric said. "It is unstable, putting joints and muscles under a lot of stress. Twisting the ankle and fractures can occur."
