High heels have been a fashion statement in women’s closets for years. They are a symbol of personality and confidence as they are believed to make the person who wears them “more attractive “ by accentuating their silhouette. For many years now we have accepted them as normal accessory without taking into account the repercussions of how regular wear can affect our bodies and posture.
What does it mean to have good posture?
According to a study by Shavonda L. Pannell, good posture “is the correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of muscle tension against gravity which allows healthy musculoskeletal functioning”.
Just like when we breath, we don’t consciously think about our posture most of the time. Instead, we have several muscles groups such as our hamstrings, glutes and even trapezius that enable our bodies to remain upright against gravity while standing, sitting, or lying down. (2)
Having good posture also reduces stress on the ligaments holding the spinal joints together and it allows muscles to work efficiently.
How do high heels affect our posture?
Imagine your body is a column, healthy posture means we are sturdy and strong.
But when we put on a pair of heels, our bodies aka the column, starts tilting forward, which means the angle with the floor decreases becoming more acute. In our bodies, it presents with an arched back, the pelvis tilts forward, glutes stick out and our calf muscles tighten since they are now shortened and lose power to shoot the feet off the ground.
Our bodies consist of two different group of muscles: Postural or skeletal muscles, “support the position of the bones in relation to each other against the force of gravity to maintain postural integrity” (hip flexors, hamstrings and lumbar are a few of them) and the phasic muscles, which are mostly responsible for movement of our bodies though space. (trapezius, romboids, glutes and tibialis anterior, etc)
When we are wearing heels, our Postural muscles are no longer the ones supporting us. The job now relys on our Phasic muscles, which have less endurance and require more recovery time therefore we become tired and sore much faster.
Some of the consequences of wearing high heels displayed in our bodies might be sprained ankles, lower back pain, changes in our walking and mobility and leg or knee pain. Some cases may even show osteoarthritis of the knees.
How to correct your posture
To reduce the risk of unhealthy posture and muscles imbalances causing long term repercussions, there are a few changes that can be implemented – starting today:
- Reduce how often you wear heels.
- Wear shorter heels
- When standing focus on putting most of your weight on the balls of your feet.
- After a long day wearing heels, massage the sole of your feet with a golf ball adding different levels of pressure for one to two minutes.
- Stretch your calf muscles daily, Achilles tendon and ankle joints.
- When exercising, focus on work outs that facilitate hip mobility and gluteal strengthening.
Why seek Chiropractic care?
When evaluating your spine during your initial consultation, the Chiropractor will be able to assess if there are any muscle skeletal imbalances or faulty posture. These will be addressed t during your plan of care, to facilitate your body to heal and improve its mobility and muscle strength. Which means, no more pain for you!!
Written by Florencia Otano
References:
1)“The Postural and Biomechanical Effects of High Heel Shoes: A Literature Review” by Shavonda L. Pannell
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