3 Things Women Don't Want to Hear About Wearing High Heels

   Do you love wearing high heels? Most women in this world love to wear high heels. Spine Health Institute, a website on the internet mention that 77% of women love to wear high heels for  special occasions.
It is because high heels are thought to characterize femininity and beauty, making the wearers feel self-assured and elegant. It makes  their appearance more beautiful too, like making their body shape more curvy and making them look taller. Well, most women still don’t know how high heels can hurt their body. Having osteoarthritis, harming our body’s balance and posture, and having some varicose are some disadvantages of wearing high heels for a long term.

   The first disadvantage of wearing high heels is to suffer from osteoarthritis. It is often called degenerative joint disease. People with this illness often have joint pain and reduced motion. Because of high heels, osteoarthritis affects cartilage around the hip and the knees joint. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. In this case, the top layer of the cartilage itself breaks down and wears away. This allows bones under the cartilage to rub together which can cause pain, swelling, and loss of motion of the joint itself. In a long period, it can cause the joint lose its normal shape. Unlike other arthritis, osteoarthritis only affects joints and not internal organs. 

   The next disadvantage is to harm our body’s balance and posture. High heels are less stable than any other shoes. They make the whole body more unstable because they raise the height of the body’s center of mass. They make it more difficult to maintain a symmetrical posture, and this may affect balance. In order to stand up right and walk in high-heeled shoes, the ankle joint must be extended and this is the joint’s least stable position. Wearing high  heels regularly (at least 3 days a week) changes the normal movement of the ankle joint. The upwards and outwards movement of the foot at the ankle joint becomes restricted because the calf muscle becomes shorter and the Achilles tendon becomes broader and stiffer. And as the stabilizing muscles on the outside of the lower leg have to work harder to balance the unstable ankle, they become fatigued and the risk of ankle sprains increases. One appeal of high-heeled shoes is that they shorten the calf muscles to make an attractive leg shape, but these changes to muscle, tendons, and joints cause discomfort when high heel wearers try to walk in flat shoes.

   The last disadvantage is to have varicose vein. Those are the veins under the skin of the legs, which have become widened, bulging, and twisted. They are very common and do not cause medical problems for most people. Actually, there are two main systems of veins in the legs, namely Deep Veins and Superficial Veins. These superficial veins placed under the skin which are less important and can form varicose veins. It often runs in families and there may be a hereditary component. Women are more likely to suffer from varicose veins. Many people have no symptoms at all from their varicose veins, except from the fact that they are noticeable and their appearance can be embarrassing. Other than that, the most common symptoms are aching, discomfort and heaviness of the legs, which are usually worse at the end of the day.

   In conclusion, using high heels for a long term can harm our body. Having osteoarthritis, harming our body’s balance and posture, and having some varicose veins are some disadvantages of it. Well, there are some actions that can lower the negative effects of wearing high heels such as stretching leg muscles before and after putting the high heels on, buying shoes in the afternoon when feet are at their largest size, and be more creative at choosing our choose. We can change that high heels shoes to  sneakers or flat shoes. We know that fashion is only about confident right?  Actually, it is not wrong to wear high heels. We just need to consider what the disadvantages of wearing high heels for a long term.

By : Sheila Prima Octarini