High Heels Impact on Health

For less leg pain and heel pain, avoid high-heeled mayhem.

How far would you go to fit into a pair of 7-inch heels? There is an alarming new trend hitting the streets—somewhat literally. Women are injecting dermal fillers into their toes, heels, and the balls of their feet in order to manage their errands around town in a pair of absolutely unorthodox heels. The goal of course is to eliminate foot and leg conditions, beware: this trend is not worth it. High heel shoes could have an unintended impact on your health if worn too often.

Wearing a high-heeled shoe changes the natural anatomy of the foot. When you take a step naturally, the pressure of your body weight is dissipated across the entire foot, but in a high-heel, the pressure is localized, often causing pain.

Even if you have never worn a pair of high-heels (which for a large part of the female population is unlikely), it is not too hard to picture the way the foot is contorted to fit into the shoe. While there are smaller heels that don’t change the pressure on the foot as drastically, tall stiletto heels leave women literally walking around on their tippy-toes all night.

High-heels are a societal problem, and a lot of women cannot escape them. At this point, they are much more than a fashion trend. Many business women are looked down upon for not dressing appropriately if they aren’t donning a pair of pumps with their skirt suits. But what lengths are you willing to go through to manage a pair of seven-inch heels for an evening out?

The dermal fillers are designed to augment the footpad, providing more cushioning to the areas of the foot that are impacted by the heels. Fat pad restoration is actually a very helpful medical procedure for people who have lost their natural fat on the bottom of their feet, but this new trend is taking something positive to an extreme. The dermal fillers are not designed to provide extra cushioning for otherwise healthy feet.

When it comes to wearing high-heels, moderation is key. You may not be willing to give up your favorite shoes for good, but do you need to wear them all night?  To minimize the impact of a high heel on your foot health, carry a spare pair of flats with you in your purse and lose the heels before your feet start to scream. In situations like this it is always a good idea to use a little bit of common sense: if your feet hurt in a pair of shoes, then don’t wear them!

Dr. Jason Gold, DPM, FACFAS

Dr. Jason Gold, DPM, FACFAS, is a podiatrist at the Foot, Ankle & Leg Vein Center in Boca Raton, FL, and Boynton Beach, FL. He has over 20 years of experience and specializes in foot and ankle conditions like bunions, fat pad atrophy, and sports medicine. Dr. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, and he earned his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia. He's one of only 10 board-certified Reconstructive Foot & Ankle Surgeons in Palm Beach County. Dr. Gold has been featured in highly authoritative publications like HuffPost, PureWow, and Yahoo!

Dr. Jodi Schoenhaus , DPM - Podiatrist in Boca Raton, FL

Dr. Jodi Schoenhaus DPM, RPhs, FACFAS

Dr. Jodi Schoenhaus, DPM, RPhs, FACFAS, is a podiatrist at the Foot, Ankle & Leg Vein Center in Boca Raton, FL, and Boynton Beach, FL. She has over 20 years of experience and specializes in foot, ankle, and leg vein conditions like spider and varicose veins and sclerotherapy. Dr. Jodi holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan, and she earned his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Schoenhaus has performed FDA-approved research and has been published in the National Library of Medicine and PubMed. Dr. Jodi has been featured in highly authoritative publications like Cosmopolitan, Lifehacker, Parade, New York Post, and Yahoo!, among others.