Winning an Oscar

I watched the Oscars and the annual fashion show on the red carpet. While all the women were glamorous from head to toe, by the end of the night most of them were either barefoot or carrying their shoes looking for a place to sit.

Although high heels and stilettos may make womens legs more shapely and elegant, they are not an everyday shoe. Most of these shoes offer little to no support for your feet and can cause pain because all your weight is forced to the balls of your feet, pinching the toes together. In some cases, the imbalance can lead to sprained ankles or even worse – ankle fractures from falling.

A lot of these shoes may make foot problems worse and speed up the formation of such problems as bunions, hammertoes, corns, callous, pinched nerves, and many more deformities.

So, the question I get is, How can I wear heels and be comfortable? First thing is find out what is causing the discomfort. If all the weight of your body is forced onto your forefeet, you need to wear a lower heeled shoe of about 1 inches in height. A completely closed-in shoe will give more support than a sling back, peep-toe shoe, or sandal. Padding and wider shoes will often help, but wider shoes may slip off the back of your heels. A custom device called an Orthotic can be made to fit into heels that will keep the muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones in a proper position and prevent the imbalance and discomfort.

Stretching your toes both toward the leg and down helps to strengthen your feet. Stretching the calves and the arch will also help. Your Podiatrist can show you Exercises specific for you to ensure correct form and position. Your foot doctor will go over the pros and cons of different styles of shoes to determine what is best for you. Be sure to bring a pair of high heeled shoes that you frequently wear to your appointment to be evaluated for wear patterns and unequal weight distribution.

I will not tell you to give up high heels. I will simply help you achieve the comfort you desire so you may wear high heels on occasion.

For more information on high heels and your feet, feel free to contact Dr. Bowman at Houston Foot Specialists by either calling 713-467-8886 or at our website www.houstonfootspecialists.com

Category: Foot Pain

Tags: Ankle Fractures, Ankle Problems, Ankle Sprains, Callouses, Corns, foot pain, Foot Problems, Hammertoes, High Heels, Orthotics, Pinched Nerves, Stilettos, Stretching, Women's Feet