Lovely High Heels and Stilettos Are Not So Lovely for Your Back!

Ooh la la! Those high heels, especially stilettos, are adorable! Vancouver Disc Centers may even believe them adorable, but ... "To wear or not to wear?" ... that is the question.

Apologies, gals! Unless there's a runway in Vancouver, you may want to avoid those high heels. They make the leg look long, but may stress the back muscles and even the neck muscles! The research is leaning heavily towards the "don't wear" category than the "wear" category, but why? That's a little fuzzy.

So, let's consider the "wear 'em" research - Younger women exhibit an increase in pelvic range of motion in the sagittal plane during high-heeled gait in contrast with low-heeled gait and walking without shoes. Unfortunately, middle-aged women don't receive this response. (3) Hum? Not too much in the "wear 'em" research which doesn't surprise your Vancouver chiropractor.

Now, let's look at the "don't wear 'em" research - erector spinae muscles get taxed which may lead to muscle overuse and lower back pain (1); lumbar lordosis is increased which may lead to lower back pain (2); cervical paraspinal muscle activity escalates especially in 45-55 year olds which leads to the recommendation to not wear stilettos as it is unsafe and may progress to chronic paraspinal muscle fatigue (3); high-heeled walking challenges the nervous system as it demands a more complicated and less predictable pattern of ankle control than barefooted walking (4). Heels put your spine, lower back and neck even at risk for pain.

So, we chiropractors typically recommend not wearing high heeled shoes or stilettos, choosing to err on the side of caution. Vancouver Disc Centers does know some Vancouver women who love their high heels, so we just ask you to be careful. Wear them limitedly. If you have any increased back pain, drop down to a pair of lovely flats, and contact us for a chiropractic treatment to re-align your spine and relieve your neck pain and back pain. It's all a matter of balance...in shoes and life!

See you soon!