By Carolinas HealthCare System
When you go out in a fantastic pair of heels and designer handbag, you feel great. But when you get home, you can’t wait to put down that bag and kick off those toe-numbing shoes.
“It’s called a high-heel hangover,” says Kevin Burroughs, MD, CAQSM, medical director of Sports Medicine & Injury Care at Carolinas HealthCare System. “The challenge about looking fashionable and feeling comfortable is that they’re not mutually exclusive.”
Fortunately, you can make simple changes to limit pain and injury — while staying fashionable, of course.
Heels Can Harm
Feet are not triangular, says Burroughs, who often traces his patients’ bare feet, then places their pointy-toed heels on the outline to show how poorly they fit.
Ill-fitting shoes cause blisters and corns. Over time, bunions, hammer toes, shortened Achilles tendons or “pump bumps” may develop. High heels also can cause knee and back problems.
To avoid problems from high-fashion shoes:
Wear heels for as little time as possible. Slip your pumps off under your desk. Bring comfortable shoes to walk from your car to a restaurant. Pack socks for dancing.
Exercise to maintain flexibility. Stretching and yoga are good examples.
Buy well-padded shoes. “As we mature, we have a loss in the fat pad under the knuckles and heel bone,” Burroughs says.
Spend more time in flat shoes. A half-inch heel is best.
Re-evaluate your shoe wardrobe. “What was great in your 20s may not [work] anymore,” notes Burroughs. “There’s usually a flattening of the foot, and it gets wider.”
Purse Problems
Heavy handbags cause fewer injuries than high heels, but they, too, can cause pain. “You can get muscle strains around the shoulder and neck,” Burroughs says. “The larger the volume, the more strain.”
To avoid neck and shoulder strains:
Remove unnecessary items from your handbag. A lighter load strains you less.
Periodically switch shoulders, so that your handbag doesn’t always strain the same shoulder.
Don’t suffer for fashion!
# # #
Dr. Burroughs is a board-certified physician at Sports Medicine & Injury Care and can diagnose and treat your back or foot pain. Eight Sports Medicine & Injury Care centers are conveniently located throughout the community and offer next-day appointment scheduling. To schedule an appointment, call 704-863-HURT or visit CarolinasHealthCare.org/SportsCare.
