Yesterday’s Columbus Dispatch had an interesting story about high heels: The higher the heels, the greater the dangers.
It was actually pretty good . . . mostly.
They interview a stiletto aficionado:
“Do they hurt? Absolutely,” said the Far West Side resident. “The worst is the burn on the balls of the feet. But it’s worth it.”
Stiletto-enthusiasts such as Woolfalk say foot pain is the price you pay for the confidence that comes with wearing high heels.
The article also talks about so many of the studies that show just how bad high heels are: foot pain, lower-back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and foot deformities.
X-rays show how high heels stretch the foot’s arch. Doctors say long-term use has painful consequences.
And then the article goes on to detail even more problems:
bunions, hammertoes, calluses and Haglund’s deformity, also called a “pump bump.”
The article even talks about women who have their pinkie toes removed and compares it to Chinese foot binding.
There was even a nice graphic to illustrate the problems with heels.
OK, that’s the “heels” part of this entry. What about the “cads”?
I’m sure you can guess. One of their “tips from medical professionals”:
- Buy shoes with good arch and heel support. Ballet flats and flip-flops can be just as harmful as high heels if they are too flexible and don’t support your feet.
There’s that “support” shibboleth again. If you “support” muscles, they wither away. Support your arms with slings, and you won’t be able to lift much weight at all. My mother wore a back brace for much of her life, and as a consequence, her back no longer has any strength, so she cannot take off the brace.
OK, if you’ve been wearing shoes that “support” ( = weakens ) your arch, and you suddenly wear flip-flops, it is no wonder your feet will hurt, just the same as if your leg muscles would hurt if you suddenly tried to run a marathon without training. You need to ease into it.
But what is so objectionable about their statement is the idea that feet are inherently weak. No, they are not. They are only weak because of the crap that was pointed out in the entire rest of the article.
