Women’s health centre

Wearing high heels can be a pain

29^th September 2009 - They may look good at the time but high heels can have a long-term effect on the state of your feet.

A new study shows that people who pick the wrong type of shoes early in life by wearing unsupportive footwear like high heels, sandals and slippers are much more likely to suffer from foot pain in later years.

More than three thousand people took part in the foot study which is published in Arthritis and Care Research.

It showed men don’t get the same type of foot pain as women, largely because they tend to wear more supportive shoes and fewer high heels!

Foot and toe pain are among the top 20 reasons people over 65 visit their doctor. Previous studies on footwear and foot pain have been small or based on people with a particular disease.

Causes of foot pain

In this study people were asked if they had pain, aching or stiffness in one or both feet. They also provided information on the types of shoes they wore at different ages.

Shoes were classified into three groups:

• Good: low-risk shoes, such as trainers
• Average: middle-risk shoes, like hard- or rubber-soled shoes, special shoes and work boots
• Poor: high-risk footwear without support or structure, such as high heels, sandals and slippers

The results showed that 19% of men and 29% of women had generalised foot pain on most days.

Women who wore good shoes in the past were 67% less likely to report pain in the heel and ankle than those who wore average shoes.

Lead author Alyssa Dufour from Boston University School in America recommends performing stretching exercises to alleviate the effects of high heels on foot pain.

A spokeswoman from the Arthritis Research Campaign said that wearing high-heeled shoes played a part in causing foot problems like bunions, callouses and claw toes, as well as back pain and osteoarthritis of the knees in later life.

She added that “Women should save stilettos for special occasions and wear sensible shoes to avoid developing painful foot problems.”