In short, the answer is yes. High heels can be the culprit of any number of cosmetic health problems for your legs and feet. In just a few short moments that you wear them and take your first steps, you can already tell your feet are undergoing unnecessary strain. Accumulated and constant pressure on the toes can lead to ‘hammer toes’ which is a condition where the toes become permanently bent downwards. In addition, your feet can also develop bunions which are painful bony bumps that appear on the side of the big toe and cause massive discomfort.
 
Pinched nerves are also fairly common and associated with the use of high heels, usually located in the ball of the foot and between the toes. Arthritis and heel pain are also common ailments that are connected to high heels.
 
Traveling upwards from the foot, high heels can also wreak havoc on your ankles. For those who have balance problems, wearing high heels, especially those with a thin heel, are just asking for a twisted or a broken ankle. Repeated and constant use of high heels also damages an important tendon called the Achilles tendon. Because the pressure in heels is concentrated around the toes, rather than relying on the tendon, it shortens over time, leaving older women uncomfortable when wearing anything but high heels because of the strain in their ankles.
 
The best thing that you can do for your feet and ankles is to not wear high heels, but it is unlikely that people will stop using them altogether. Tune in next week when we discuss ways to mitigate or reverse the damage that high heels have caused.