Wearing high heels routinely can overstrain muscles, leading to an injury. It can strain your ankles and other tendons surrounding the foot, ending up in tendonitis. Extra weight and pressure on the front of the foot can even cause a stress fracture.
Harvard studies have found that wearing a two-inch heel places 23 percent more strain on the inner knee than wearing flat shoes. Heels cause you to bend your knees unnaturally, which increases pressure placed on the joints and can lead to pain. Unlike other types of shoes, heels lack any significant shock absorption.
You can end up with callouses, shortened Achilles tendon, lower back pain, knee buckling or sprained ankles. Physiotherapy modalities such as ultrasound, wax bath laser therapy, faradic foot bath and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation help to relieve pain.
Apply cold packs in case of swelling. Therapeutic massage procedures help in pain relief. Stretching of the calf muscle and plantar fascia release the pain too. Strengthening of intrinsic muscles also helps.
Dr Krishan Mohan Singh, Consultant Physiotherapist and Ergonomist. Email:
DrkrishanmohanPT@gmail.com