AF&A Blog

….says the title of a recent online article from Live Science. A recent July publication of research in the Journal of Experimental Biology took a closer look at the long term use of high heels. The article is a quick read, but since you are reading our blog, we will give you the short of it. After following 11 women who wore high heels 5 days a week for 2 years, they found the calve muscles of these women shortened and the associated tendons to be stiff and thickened. This led to pain while walking without heels; the pain and muscle/tendon changes in these women were a direct contrast to the women they followed who did not wear heels.

We here at AFAS have tried to make you aware of some dangers of unstable shoes in past blogs. We wanted to put a little more emphasis on the dangers associated with high heels and some things you can do to avoid them. While we probably would not recommend heels for a healthy foot, we do understand the cultural and fashion ties to this footwear. We do not propose you eliminate heels, but rather take the time to stretch out your leg muscles after a long day wearing a pair. Shortened muscles and stiff tendons are more likely to be injured so do not discount this information lightly. A visit with Dr. Thomajan can educate you on ways to correct associated problems and keep your legs healthy. Until next time, keep those feet happy and healthy Austin!

Fashion? Podiatry blog? No, you didn’t click on the wrong link. You may be thinking this is a far cry from the sort of topics you find on the 

^{Austin Foot & Ankle Specialists blog} , but think again. We talk about the right kind of foot wear fairly often but very few of us wear the type of shoe that is best for your feet on every day. In fact, more often than not your ‘dress’ shoes are not going to accommodate orthotics and probably are not the best fit for your foot. This may be especially true for many women’s shoes which may often put fashion before function.

We know that you are never going to wear a pair of tennis shoes with your slacks. There may even be a few of you reading this thinking ‘you can have my high heels, when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers’. Well, maybe you are not that extreme, but we want to offer you a little bit of advice when selecting and wearing those stylish shoes. First off you should always make sure they are a good fit. Your toes should not be crammed into the front, but rather have about a finger’s width of space between the tip of your toes and the tip of the shoe. This is important because as you walk, your foot slides forward in your shoe. Your toes need somewhere to go or they will take the brunt of this motion getting smashed to the front with every step. Secondly, since we mentioned high heels earlier, a quick suggestion: use them sparingly. Walking on your toes or the ball of your foot frequently, can be painful and lead to a variety of problems later on. Remember Austin, you should never ignore your feet hurting. Making sure you have a good fit and visiting Dr. Thomajan should help to keep your feet pain free!