What Does an Elevated Heel Do to Our Body?

Heel Lifts in Shoes:

Heel lifts have a significant impact on our overall posture, muscle function, and walking patterns. Imagine standing on a hillside as you walk downhill – the body's tilt changes, and due to the higher heel, the body leans forward to maintain balance and compensate for the position. Where can this lead to problems? The hips, knees, pelvis, spine, and even head positioning can be affected. Since the natural position of the ankle and foot changes, it also influences muscle function (calf muscles, anterior lower leg muscles, etc.). It's important to note that heel lifts also alter the pressure distribution on the foot, shifting more weight onto the balls of the feet and toes. Overall, this reduces the foot's natural sensory perception, disrupts muscle balance, leads to a loss of flexibility, and can negatively impact the entire body.

Heel Lifts:

Heel lifts greatly affect our posture, muscle function, and walking patterns. Whether discussing high-heeled women's shoes or men's fashion shoes, these elevated shoes can cause significant damage to the body over time.

This situation is similar to walking downhill. Your heel is elevated, and most of your body weight shifts forward. Let's take a closer look at what exactly happens:

Forefoot:

With heel elevation, pressure distribution on the sole changes, placing more weight on the balls of the feet and toes. The metatarsal bones, balls of the feet, and toes are not designed to bear such a load. This excessive pressure can lead to pain and inflammation in the metatarsal joints (known as metatarsalgia), which often presents as burning or sharp pain, especially while walking.

What happens to the toes? Due to the elevated heel, the toes' position changes as the foot continuously slides forward in the shoe. This forces the toes to remain in a bent position, contributing to the formation of hammer toes, where the toe joints abnormally bend, causing pain and deformity.

Heel elevation can also stretch and strain the plantar fascia (the connective tissue band on the bottom of the foot), leading to plantar fasciitis, which causes severe pain along the heel and foot arch.

Nerves can also become damaged or irritated due to excessive pressure, particularly those located in the balls of the feet. This condition is known as Morton’s neuroma, with symptoms including numbness, sharp pain, and a burning sensation between the toes.

Ankle Joint:

In shoes with an elevated heel, the heel and big toe are not at the same height, restricting ankle range of motion, especially dorsiflexion (lifting the foot upwards). With heel elevation, the ankle remains in a plantarflexed position, which, over time, can lead to ankle stiffness and reduced joint flexibility, increasing the risk of injury. The raised heel reduces the foot's contact area with the ground, leading to instability.

Calf Muscles:

While many of us appreciate strong calf muscles, wearing shoes with elevated heels keeps the calf muscles in a shortened position for extended periods. This leads to muscle stiffness, reducing flexibility and making it uncomfortable to walk in flat shoes. Long-term use can result in the shortening of the Achilles tendon, which connects the calf muscles to the heel bone. These shortenings and dysfunctions can lead to pain, inflammation, and limited range of motion over time, particularly noticeable when wearing flat shoes or going barefoot.

Knee Joint:

Biomechanical changes can also impact the knee joint. Heel-elevating shoes force the body to lean forward, causing the knees to hyperextend and increasing pressure. Here’s what this can trigger in the knee joint:

1. **Increased pressure on the patella (kneecap):**
Changes in posture result in more body weight pressing down on the patella, which can overload the cartilage and joints.

2. **Knee joint wear:**
Repeated, increased pressure and altered walking patterns place different loads on the knee joint, accelerating wear and potentially leading to osteoarthritis.

Hip Joint:

Heel-elevating shoes alter the body's natural biomechanics, leading to dysfunctions in the hip joint. Specifically, they tilt the pelvis forward (anterior pelvic tilt), which places the hip joints in an unfavorable position, tightening the hip flexor muscles (those that help lift the leg). This reduces hip flexibility and range of motion over time, potentially causing pain or iliopsoas syndrome.

Lower Back (Lumbar Spine):

Chronic use of shoes with elevated heels changes the natural curvature of the spine. This can lead to:

- **Increased lumbar curvature:** The body compensates by exaggerating the curve in the lower back, placing extra strain on the lumbar spine and causing pain.
- **Tightened lower back muscles:** Due to the anterior pelvic tilt, the lower back muscles remain tense, which can result in chronic lower back pain and reduced muscle flexibility.

Upper Back and Shoulder Girdle:

Heel elevation also impacts the upper back and shoulder area, leading to an altered center of gravity. The forward shift of the body's center results in a forward head posture and rounded shoulders, disrupting the muscle balance in the upper back and shoulder girdle. This muscle tension, especially in the trapezius and scapular muscles, can cause pain, stiffness, and fatigue.

Neck and Head:

The forward head posture places strain on the neck muscles and joints, leading to stiffness and tension. This can often result in headaches and neck pain, contributing to an overall feeling of fatigue by the end of the day.