Despite their fashionable appearance, high heels can actually prompt a decent amount of foot pain. In fact, a recent study found that 64% of older women that experienced foot pain reported wearing high heels on a regular basis throughout many years of their lives. High heels are associated with bunions, hammertoes, and other forms of general foot pain that cause people to visit their foot doctors. Looking for a podiatrist in Boca Raton or Boynton Beach? There is a new trend in high heels that may be even more damaging to the future of foot health, and that is the rise of toddlers and young children prancing around in high heels designed just for them.
Many shoe companies are now designing high heels for children as young as six months old. While the youngest versions of the shoes are made of plush and are not physically damaging to the feet, they are setting an unhealthy precedent for young girls. High heels are made in sizes to accommodate girls as soon as they are able to begin walking, and many of these sprouting women are modeling these shoes much more often than the occasional special event. High heels on children are a trend that appears to be catching on as young girls slip on their mock stilettos starting at the age of three.
One of the leading concerns among medical professionals is that the bones of young children are very malleable. Wearing high-heels and pointy-toed shoes can cause children’s feet to become structurally deformed as they grow. It is wise for parents to limit their daughter’s contact with high heels and other forms of unhealthy footwear until they at least reach the age of 14 when females reach skeletal maturity. This does not mean that once a child becomes 14 that high heels are no longer dangerous as heels are known to cause women foot damage throughout their lives. However, the risk for deformation from high heels will often reduce once a young girl enters her teenage years.
