High heels pain

High heels pain is caused as high heels lift the heel of the wearer higher than the toes. A high heel vs. proper foot wear is synonymous to sexy look vs. healthy looks. High heels define calf muscles; arches lower back, thrusts out chest and give a sexy look to the wearer. Women suffer from more foot problems than men. Wearing high heels is one among the reasons. High heel pain is a common problem suffered by most of the women

Believe it or not, a popular brand considers less than 2.5 inches (6 cm) as low heel, between 2.5 and 3.5 inches (8.5 cm) as medium heels and over 3.5 inches as high heel.

High price of high fashion - High heel pain

Foot pain
High heels increase pressure on foot resulting in unbalanced distribution of weight on foot. As a result of unbalanced distribution of weight the pressure points are formed on foot resulting in foot pain. Normally 60% of the body weight is born by heels and the rest i.e. 40% by the forefoot. But when you wear high heels this weight distribution ratio of 6:4 is disturbed which results in shifting of excess weight to fore foot and subsequently foot pain.

Foot deformities
Most of the high heeled foot wear squeezes toes into narrow toe box resulting in overlapping of toes or misshape. Narrow toe box results in Bunion, Mortons neuroma or Hammer toe which will result in pain and numbness. Friction from footwear results in corn, calluses, ingrown nails and painful blisters. Soft tissues on the heel which acts as a cushion to enable proper weight distribution can also be damaged as a result of wearing high heels leading to high heel pain.

Back and neck problems
In normal gait 60% of the weight is borne by heels and 40% by the forefoot. But when we wear high heels the whole weight of the body shifts to the ball of the foot (fore foot), as a result the ligaments of the foot contracts. This will in turn lead to shortening of calf muscles which stretches and strains back and neck muscles and leading to imbalance. Higher the heel, more the strain...

Knee pain
High heels escort not only foot pain but also knee pain. High heels increase the rotational stress on the knee thereby straining knee, leading to severe pain. High heels increase the pressure on the knee upto26%. The cartilage that acts as a pad between the bones of the knee absorbs nutrients from the fluid in the knee. Stress on knee due to high heels reduces absorption of the fluid resulting in wear and tear of the cartilage and arthritis sets in….

Tendon problems
High heels result in the shortening of Achilles tendon, causing high heel pain and Achilles tendonitis. Wearing high heels tilt the heel up and compress Achilles tendon. Stretching of Achilles tendon and calf muscles every day will help you lessen pain. Application of ice bags on the Achilles area also helps.

A spoonful of precaution for high heel pain

Follow these tips if you prefer to wear high heels even after reading the above article
* Avoid wearing high heels for more than 3 hours a day.* Say no to heels over 2 inches (5 cm)*Prefer comfort pumps with arch support and cushioning*Go for shoes with enough toe box (square or round toe box rather than pointy ones)*Choose shoes with wide heels* Opt foot wear made of soft leather over synthetic footwear

High heel fun...

What if someone challenge you to run a race on yr 3.5 Inches high heels? It’s tough but 110 women from Moscow were ready to take us this challenge for 100000 roubles...

Foot structure-Tarsals, Metatarsals, Phalanges

Proper understanding of foot structure and the role of each part of foot in our movement is required to take care of your foot. In simple terms foot structure consists of 3 parts

1. Heel
2. Sole
3. Toes

A heel is the bulged portion at the rear end of the foot. It rests on the ground. Heel pain is a common foot problem of all professionals mostly nurses and salesmen. Everyone should have a proper picture of the foot structure as 60% of the body weight is borne by heels

Sole is the bottom of the foot, referred to as plantar region. Sole is hairless and less pigmented compared to other parts of our body. Sole is made of the thickest layers of skin. Lots of nerve endings located in the sole, makes it a sensitive part of human body

Toes, the digits of the foot are similar to fingers of our hand. In foot structure Hallux , the great toe is the inner most toe, rest is index toe, middle toe, fourth toe,and finally the little toe

Foot Anatomy

Most of the common foot problems arise due to alteration in the foot bone structure. Foot bone structure is as follows:-
1. Tarsal
2. Metatarsals
3. Phalanges

Tarsal are seven in number, which forms the back part of the foot. Calcaneous or heel bone is the most important of them, rest are talus, cuneiform (3), cuboid and navicular.Cuneiforms are three in number-medial cuneiform,middle cuneiform and lateral cuneiform.

Metatarsals form the middle region of the foot structure, between the phalanges and heel. It consists of first metatarsal, second metatarsal, third metatarsal, fourth metatarsal and fifth metatarsal. Metatarsal pain is a common foot problem that affects our daily life.

Phalanges form the toes, which consists of distal, middle and proximal phalanges. There are 14 joints in the phalanges which makes it a vulnerable part in foot structure.

(Click on the image for a better view)

Joints
About 30 joints keep the skeletal structure of foot intact. Types of joints are tarsal-metatarsal joints, which combines tarsal and metatarsals, metatarsophalangial joints which connects metatarsals and phalanges, and inter phalangial joints which connects two phalanges

Arches
Arch of the foot is the curve at the bottom of the foot. Arches are of three types:-
1. Lateral
2. Middle
3. Medial
They form a significant part of the foot structure

Plantar fascia
Plantar fascia is the strong sheath of tissue that connects tibia to the Calcaneous or heel bone. Plantar fasciitis is a foot problem that hinders our day to day activities which we will discuss in foot problems