Here in Canada, you’ll find more women opting for ballet flats and sneakers rather than the high-heeled stilettos that were common a generation ago. While it’s true that workplaces are becoming casual, women are starting to work from home while others are opting to walk to work in comfortable shoes. All good reasons why flats are becoming more popular than heels.
Those who do still work in a traditional office often stand for their health. Many more take the stairs and even walk to lunch. It all adds up to more and more women ditching high heels for comfortable shoes that make sense and are healthier.
Even our colleagues at the American Podiatric Medical Association report that high heels can result in strains and pains of all different sorts.
Common Foot Problems
One of the most common foot problems associated with these high heels are bunions. These commonly show up on the inside of the big toe and although they look like bones growing outward, they have more to do with the big toe joint. When the alignment of the big toe gets out of joint, this problem starts. Bunions are made even worse in heels because the position and shape of the shoe comes in direct contact with that misaligned joint.
There are other issues that make flats the more logical choice over heels. Consider:
- Bumped Heel Bone. If you wear high heels long enough, you can wind up making the back of your heel more prominent. When you consider that some people already have an enlarged heel from genetics, you can see why the problem can be made much worse with raised shoes.
- Hammer Toes. This is a common foot problem that can come up as a result of other issues, but high heels are still a big reason why bent and crooked toes cause discomfort. Still, although high heels make the situation worse, it’s unfair to blame this foot problem on them completely. Although women often blame high heels for the resulting corns, they are often a by product of a pre-existing hammer toe situation.
Although women are ditching high heels for more sensible shoes, there are some things you can do if you can’t do without those pumps. If you can limit the amount of time you spend in those raised shoes, you’ll be able to avoid a lot of the pain and swelling associated with them.
Finding the right kind of cushions for the front of the shoe is another possible solution.
