High Heels - The GOOD & BAD

Yes, you read it right. High heels, according to one podiatrist, can actually be good for you IF (note the emphasis on the word), IF you wear heels that match your feet's natural heel height. And how does one find out his/her natural heel height?....more on that later in the post.

Heels, especially high ones, have always been considered bad for your feet, back, body and any ailment arising therefrom. The general consensus is that a woman who's constantly in high heels is just asking for trouble. Ever since I came across the article in NST last Wednesday, that said differently, I've searched the web for more info to support what the article claimed.

But first, the bad points of high-heeled shoes as posted on this website:
http://foothealth.about.com/od/shoessocks/a/HighHeelsBad.htm



The GOOD side:

This is what Emma Supple, a podiatric surgeon at Chase Farm Hospital (UK) has to say (excerpt from TIMESONLINE UK):
"Everyone has a perfect heel height. To find yours, sit with your leg extended in front of you and see how it hangs. If it’s pointing down like a dancer’s foot, that’s your natural heel height and if it’s almost at a right angle with your leg and doesn’t dangle at all, you’re probably better in flats."

Emma’s guide to being well heeled

• To find your perfect heel height, take off your shoes, sit on a chair and extend one leg straight in front of you.
• Where would your heel touch the ground? With your leg stretched out in front of you and the knee supported, make an imaginary line from the heel to the ground.
• If your foot is at a right angle to your outstretched leg and does not dangle, you have a low ankle-joint axis and will be more comfortable in flat shoes than in high heels. Kate Moss is the standard-bearer for flats – they are obviously what suit her feet best.
• If your foot points down, you need to measure the distance between the top of your big toe and an imaginary line from the bottom of your heel. This is the right heel height for you. Measure it against your favourite shoes – the ones you swear you are most comfortable in, no matter how high or low. I can almost guarantee the heel will match it.
  

So there you go....the BAD & the GOOD of high-heels. You decide.

Emma, who has flat-feet as does her daughter, has also written an article on the latest surgical breakthrough for correction of this condition. She herself has undergone the procedure. Here's the link: http://www.fmwf.com/media-type/news/2010/01/im-hoping-my-daughter-will-have-pioneering-surgery-to-cure-her-flat-feet-just-like-me/

Well...I'm off to dust-off my high-heeled dancing shoes (checking first of course that they're my correct heel height). I hope this article has been informative in some way to you.