High Heels & Your Posture: The Battle is Real
High-heeled shoes have been around for a very long time. Depictions of these shoes can be seen on ancient Egyptian murals dating back 3500 years. From the Roman era all the way through the Middle Ages, wherein 1533 the first women’s heeled shoes were designed specifically to lengthen her legs, and up until the present day, high heel shoes have been a part of society and fashion.
But that doesn’t make them a good fashion choice. In fact, wearing high heel shoes on a regular basis can be very bad for your health. While they may make your body look a certain way, the trade-offs in terms of injury and posture problems are hardly worth it.
Here’s What Happens to Your Muscles…
You’ve probably heard the term muscle memory before. Our muscles have a way of permanently taking on the posture they have assumed for a long period of time. When you wear high heels every day, your foot and ankle are forced into an unnatural plantarflexed position for an extended period of time. Over time, this causes key muscles in your legs to become shorter and tighter, while other muscles become longer and weaker. And, because your body works as one, functional unit, these muscular imbalances affect your entire body posture.
Common problems associated with high heel wearing include low back problems, knee issues, and hunch back posture. In turn, these issues increase your risk of further injuries, making you more prone to ankle and knee sprains. And women are more prone to developing knee osteoarthritis, which is when the joints become worn out, and it is believed this is due in large part to women wearing high heels.
Chiropractic Care for Posture Correction
If you think you may already be suffering from posture issues due to high heels, it’s not something you should ignore. Damage from chronic posture problems can compound over time.
Thankfully, poor posture can be corrected with chiropractic care. A chiropractor can help restore your spine and bring misaligned muscles and tendons back into place. They can also show you exercise you can do at home to help you strengthen your back, hips, and joints to reinforce your correction.
If you’d like to get speak to someone and get a free consultation, call or stop by our offices today.
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