Do High Heels Lead to Foot and Back Problems if Worn Too Often?

High Heels: The problem in Cannes

Several women were turned away from movie premieres at the Cannes Film Festival simply because they had on flats rather than high heels, ironically at female-themed films. Although festival spokesperson Christine Aime eventually clarified that women should not have been dismissed for their footwear, a group was turned away from the film Carol, while another woman couldn’t even get into see her husband’s film Amy, an Amy Winehouse documentary.

How shoes change body position

Many women enjoy wearing high heels because the shoes make them feel ladylike and glamorous. However, they are one of the top contributors to chronic discomfort: while 10% of women don the shoes three times or more weekly, they cause long-term pain for one in three regular wearers – not just foot pain, but knee and back pain as well.

The reason that the impact from the shoe style is so far-reaching is that the shape knocks a woman’s body out of its proper alignment, explains Lenox Hill Hospital surgical chief Dr. David Samadi. It’s obvious when you look at the position that is forced that the center of gravity is shifting forward toward the toes. In turn, the pelvis moves forward.

“As a result of being in this position,” says Samadi, “the body has a natural instinct to stay upright and therefore, a person wearing them subconsciously leans backward while overarching the back.”

Impact on the joints

It’s a relatively subtle shift, but the compensatory positioning amplifies the pressure on the joints, leading to hip, knee, and back pain.

The reason that knee pain often arises is that the forward posture places greater weight at the front end of the knees. For those with osteoarthritis, high heels can decrease range of motion while increasing inflammation and knee pain.

The shoes can also impinge nerves and shorten muscles in the back and legs, in turn producing muscle spasms. Sciatica, sciatic nerve symptoms that can stretch from the lower back through the buttocks to the legs, can result. In sciatica, “[t]he groin muscles and hip flexor muscles eventually tighten,” says Samadi, “causing the lower back and gluteal muscles to experience chronic spasm, putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.”

Recovery from high-heel pain

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