Slipping into a pair of stilettos is not just painful for the moment; it could mean you’re in for a lifetime of pain. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, wearing 3.5-inch heels or higher could lead to prematurely aged knee joints and increase a woman’s risk of developing osteoarthritis.
High heels have been known to cause aches and pains, including lower back problems and muscle spasms. Extended wear of high heels leads to the continual bending of the toes into an unnatural position that can cause complications, from ingrown toenails to irreversible damage to leg tendons.
A team of researchers from Stanford University Medical Center sought to examine the effects of high heel wear and increased weight on the knee during walking with 14 healthy female volunteers. To compare gait parameters between the shoes, added weight, and walking style of speed, the women wore different pairs of shoes: flats, 1.5-inch heels, and 3.5-inch heels. Heavy vests that increased their body weight by 20 percent were also tested on the women while they wore the assigned shoes.
The findings revealed there were some significant walking patterns associated with the two heels heights tested and the 20 percent extra weight. Women tended to bend their knees more during specific phases of their walk. They walked slower in heels, but the extra weight did not affect walking speed.
In other words, the higher the heel, the more likely the knee would bend when the foot hit the ground. This puts a lot of strain on the knee joint, especially for women who are overweight.
“Many of the changes observed with increasing heel height and weight were similar to those seen with ageing and OA [osteoarthritis] progression,” the researchers said, adding that, “this suggests that high heel use, especially in combination with additional weight, may contribute to increased OA risk in women.”
As the largest joint in your body, the knee takes on its fair share of impact. Not surprisingly, knee pain is a common complaint among people of all ages. The most common causes include inflammation caused by improper lifting of heavy objects, poor flexibility, bad shoes, muscle weakness, starting high-impact fitness routines without warming up and structural knee problems, such as arthritis, torn cartilage or ligament damage.
Tips
1. Don't skip the exercise, even if you have a structural problem.
The key is to know your limits. Strength training that focuses heavily on building up muscles in the quadriceps and hamstrings can decrease pain and help people better tolerate arthritis and other structural knee problems. Staying active helps control weight and build muscle, both of which can help protect your knees from further damage.
The best exercises for people with structural knee problems include non impact aerobic exercises, such as walking on level ground, training on an elliptical machine, using a stationary bike, swimming and doing water aerobics. It’s also wise to avoid activities that put extra stress on the knees such as kneeling, deep knee bends and downhill running.
2. Whether you're active or not, stretching is good for the knees.
Stretches that focus on the calf, hamstring and quadriceps muscles take pressure off of the knees and knee caps. "Many people often say there is no aerobic value in stretching, so they see it as a waste of time, but a well-conditioned, flexible body is less likely to develop overuse problems in the knees."
Some good stretches to protect the knees include step-ups, hamstring curls and straight-leg lifts. Additionally, stretches that focus on building flexibility in the hips, including a butterfly stretch and a standing hip flexor with a resistance band, can help alleviate knee pain.
People who do not like to stretch before a workout can still protect their knees by slowly ramping up to top speed rather than jumping full speed into their workout.
3. Losing weight can improve knee pain.
"Your weight plays a major role in knee pain, "If you walked around all day with a backpack that had a 5kg weight in it, you would feel how achy your back, hips and knees are at the end of the day. That shows you the impact extra weight can have on your joints."
4. Wearing the proper shoes is important for healthy knees.
Supportive and comfortable shoes help take pressure off the knee joint by promoting proper leg alignment and balance. So it's no surprise that wearing high heels is a common cause of knee pain.
"When high heels lift your heel up, your weight bearing line tips forward so your quadriceps have to work harder to hold your knee straight, which then leads to knee pain. Whereas, if your heel is closer to the floor in low pumps or flats, your thigh muscles don't have to work as hard to maintain stability,which is easier on the knees."
5. Stand up straight to feel better.
"When you slouch you are leaning forward and walking bent over at the waist — and that posture will lead to knee pain," you want your head centered over your shoulders and your shoulders centered over your abdomen and pelvis. The more your body is off-center, the more you have to compensate for that with muscle activity. Those muscles eventually fatigue, causing strain on your joints.
Having strong core muscles in your abdomen and lower back helps promote good posture and, ultimately, lessens the pressure on your knees. Exercises such as planks, back extensions, yoga and Pilates can help strengthen the core.
A well-conditioned, flexible body is less likely to develop overuse problems in the knees.