Let’s face it, high heels are paramount for showing off beautiful legs, but no matter how good they look, they can cause their owners excruciating pain. Around 75 per cent of people will suffer some sort of foot pain in their lifetime. And not only do they hurt while you wear them, over time, heels can cause damage to the joints, ligaments and bones in your feet.
    Peter Garbutt, Chairman of Sports Chiropractic Australia, says high heels prop us into an unnatural stance, causing an array of foot, ankle and even back problems. “The higher the heel, the more pressure you put on the ball and sole of the foot, which can lead to pain and movement problems.”
    Yoga Teacher Natasha Tay says heels force the Achillies tendon and calf muscle to shorten, in order to keep us upright. “The muscles we rely on for support become overstretched or overworked when we wear heels too often.” But the damage doesn’t stop at our feet.
    Heels cause the pelvis to tilt forward, which not only make you look like you’ve got a pot belly and a big backside, it puts pressure on the lower back. “There is also the increased risk of spraining an ankle when in heels, which takes away from some of the glamour of wearing them,” Garbutt says.
    Tay says the body works together as a whole, and to compromise the feet, is to compromise our entire being. “When one part of the body is injured, out of alignment or simply not used correctly, the rest of the body will adjust to compensate for the change.”

Damage control

The best way to be prepare our feet for footwear of the heel variety, is to make sure you keep your calves well stretched. The muscles in the calf are shortened in heels, and you should stretch them every time your wear them. Stand on a step or a thick book and let your heels hang down. Relax. Stay there for 60 seconds or more.
    Yoga teach Natasha Tay, says our feet form the stable base from which many yoga postures begin. “They not only provide us with stability in yoga and in life, but are also the point of the body that connects us to the earth and grounds us.”
     Garbutt agrees: “The soles of our feet are rich in sensory nerves, and so they should be stimulated by the ground we are on, to activate the muscles. We spend far too much time on unnaturally hard flat surfaces, and in shoes which ‘blind’ our feet.”
     You also want to strengthen your toes. Garbutt suggests picking things up with your toes. “This helps activate the often neglected muscles within your feet, which help support the foot naturally.
    Another great exercise is the small foot. This involves keeping your heels and toes on the ground flat, but drawing your arch up, so that your foot shortens. Hold this position for ten seconds, then repeat five times, twice a day. Once comfortable with this, then you can walk around the room like this, helping to activate the arch muscles during walking.

Other exercises to strengthen the feet:

Toe Raise, Toe Point, Toe Curl: Hold each position for five seconds. Repeat ten times.

Toe Squeeze: Place small corks or toe guards between toes and squeeze for five seconds. Repeat ten times.

The Gold Ball: Roll a golf ball under the ball of your foot for two minutes. This is great for foot cramps.

Sand-walking: Any chance you get, take off your shoes and walk in the sand. It massages and exfoliates your feet while strengthening your toes.

Marble pick-up: Place a handful of marbles on the floor. Pick up one at a time and put them in a small bowl. Then take them all out again, one by one.

If you consider that we log thousands of kilometers in our lifetime, and our feet provide the support through the journey, it’s no wonder they can sometimes pipe up in painful protest. That’s why a massage can also help. Rubbing and squeezing the foot helps relieve aches, manually increases the range of motion and stretches all the muscles.

    The other thing to be wary of, is that you are wearing the right size shoes – make sure they’re comfortable when you try them on. The mistake many women make, is thinking they can ‘break them in’ if they are uncomfortable at first.
    A UK doctor has warned women to wear high heels ‘in moderation’ after a string of shoe related hospital admissions. Senior emergency unit expert Dr Rupert Evans has seen an increase in the number of women being admitted, with injuries caused by the fashionable footwear.
    “High heel-wearing women arriving by ambulance sustained injuries varying from sprains to broken bones, dislocated ankles – and in some cases permanent damage. Bunions and hammer toes have also been linked to heels. Evans advice: “Try to have shoes with a strap and keep the heel height down to 4cm.”

Don’t give in to the fashion police

Summer is the season to show off those amazing calves, so don’t feel like you have to miss out on all the flirty fashion. Simply look for foot-friendly attire: the shorter and fatter the heel, the better. Sandals also do less damage to the legs and back, just make sure you choose ones that support the foot.
    Garbutt says when it comes to thongs it would be downright un-Australian not to like them. “That said, they do tend to encourage poor walking technique. On the plus side, they are easy to slip off and carry if you come across some natural ground to walk across and give your feet a stimulation session. And don’t forget the sunscreen; the tan line really isn’t very cool!”
    Women ignore the warnings for cosmetic reasons. But really, heels are just like chocolate. You don’t have to stop eating it altogether, but you should save it for special occasions. Tay says if you can’t avoid bad shoes altogether, moderation is the key to minimize damage. “Summer is the perfect time to get out of your shoes and reconnect with the earth.”

Tay says standing yoga poses help balance and reverse the negative effects of wearing heels, by creating greater strength and flexibility in the feet and leg muscles. She suggests trying this simple balance pose:

Stand with your feet together and arms outstretched at shoulder height. Find a stationary point to focus on. Put your weight on your left foot and place the heel of your right foot in front of, and touching your left big toe. Your feet should be in a straight line. When you find that point of balance, focus your attention on your feet, noticing how hard they have to work to keep you there.