So, Its time to party! You put on your foot wear – heels with very long inches, you check yourself the mirror, You pose and blow a kiss in acceptance of your style… Going down the stairs you feel a sharp-quick pain around your ankle. You ignore it, you bend to pet your dog before leaving, Your toes and back ache…You say to yourself, I am sure I am fine lets have fun tonight!
But really, are all footwears right for you?
The Impact
Our feet need to be protected well, so that we can move around as we like, and be comfortable knowing when we stand for extended periods of time safely.
“Adequately fitting shoes should have little to no detrimental effects on our health. Our feet; Ankles, Ligaments, Tendons etc all suffer one way or another from improperly selected and fitted footwear. Shoes with higher heels, inadequate grip, improper or absent fastenings, has been associated to cause impaired walking, balance, and even falls leading to sprain or strains. While foot constriction within shoes can result in parathaesia (Paresthesia refers to a burning or prickling sensation that is usually felt in the hands, arms, legs, or feet, but can also occur in other parts of the body) or brief numbness. Inappropriate footwear might cause immediate issues to develop into long-term ones.
Short-term Problems Of Wearing The Wrong Footwear
Your feet might be harmed almost instantly by ill-fitting shoes. Among the more prevalent conditions are:
Corns
Corns are a ‘plug’ of hard, dead skin that occur over a bony prominence, like a joint. They are often caused by prolonged pressure to the specific area – usually from poorly fitting footwear.
Nail Issues
Nail and fungal problems are extremely common in school childern and its caused when the sides of the nail pierce the surrounding skin, due to how tight the shoes are and can be painful.
Blisters
This is a raised portion of skin filled with fluid that commonly results from wearing tight shoes ad the skin of the feet rubs on the body of the inner shoe or toes rubbing on each other.
Smelly feet (Bromodosis)
The main cause of smelly feet is a build-up of sweat and bacteria on them and fungal infections like athlete’s foot. The amount you sweat can be affected by: hot weather. exercise. etc Its always best to air shoes under sunlight.
Fungal infections
e.g; Athlete’s Foot is caused by a dermatophyte – a fungal species living on the skin. It causes intense itching, inflammation and flaking of the skin, and is simultaneously unsightly, uncomfortable and extremely contagious.
Long-term Problems Of Wearing The Wrong Footwear
The wrong pair of shoes can cause permanent damage to your body, and resulting problems always consists of more body parts and not just the feet.
Collapsed or ‘fallen’ arches (more commonly known as ‘flat feet’)
This is the term used to describe the instance when somebody’s feet have low or no arches, and as a result press flat against the ground.
This occurs when there is tightness in the Achilles tendon and the muscles at the back of the leg whilst walking. This can lead to strain in the ligaments that support the arch (the Spring Ligament), the Plantar Fascia and the tendon of the muscle (tibialis posterior), which also helps to support the arch. Prolonged strain to these soft tissue structures may result in damage and a lowering of the arches with consequent pain in the arch and heel area.
Also wearing shoes that have no heel at all does not offer support to those people who have tight calf muscles and Achilles tendon and makes matters worse.
Back pain
There are number of people that will tackle this point but its a true fact. One of the potential problems that might arise from wearing improper footwear (especially heels) over a prolonged period of time, is back pain. The constant straining of leg and back muscles can lead to overuse with eventual stiffening and resulting in postural changes. Also, possible lumbar intervertebral disc compression (as a result of poor footwear) can lead to lower back pain.
Joint pain
Prolonged overloading as a result of shoes that lacks adequate support can ultimately cause all sorts of joint problems such as arthritis and also knee pain – especially in the case of high heels.
Fracture
Yes! It can happen. Most likely to falls that occurs while wearing heels or wedges of dangerous inches!
Note
Stick to low shoes where possible, and if you do wear high heels then make sure they are ‘well made’ and are not worn for too long.
Special Note – Images of all shoe complications mentioned here might cause reactions. Please check online for descriptive images.
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