Don’t get too used to doing everything in high heels. According to Science Daily, activities such as running after buses and jogging down the stairs in fashionable footwear on a regular basis may cause knee problems a few years down the line.
Researchers Yaodong Gu, Yan Zhang, and Wenwen Shen of the Faculty of Sports Science at Ningbo University, in Zhejiang, China worked with several female volunteers aged 21 to 25 years old and measured their hip and ankle movements while in three different kinds of shoes: those with 15-millimeter flat heels, 45-millimeter low heels, and 70-millimeter high heels.
They found that when jogging or running in the latter, there was a decrease and an inversion of movement in the participants’ ankles, which increased their risk of getting sprained. There was also an increase in motion range of the hip and knee joints which, when experienced too often, may cause wear and tear, and later on lead to osteoarthritis.
Of course, high heels are not entirely a bad thing, but if you’re among the nine out 10 women who feel sore, fatigued, and numbed by strutting in these fashion statements, then get your feet flat on the ground as soon as you can or, at least, bring a pair of flats with you.
(Photo by Maegan Tintari via Flickr Creative Commons)
