Many women love their high heels. High heels make legs look longer and the calf appear more curvaceous. They are a fashion mainstay, looking stylish with dresses, slacks and jeans. The drawback is that they can squeeze too tightly and put too much pressure on the ball of the foot, jam the toes into unnatural positions and put posture out of alignment. Wearing high heels can cause chronic foot problems, pain and lead to deformities.
Corn and Calluses
Corns and calluses are areas of thickened, hardened skin that form over areas of pressure or excessive friction. According to MedlinePlus, calluses form on the heel and ball of the foot, while corns form on the toes. Wearing high heels puts excessive pressure on the ball of the foot, encouraging the growth of calluses. Friction and pressure from the tight, pointy toe boxes of high heels promote the growth of corns, especially on the little toes.
Bunions
Bunions, called hallux valgus, are bony bumps that form at the joints at the base of the big toes, according to the Cleveland Clinic. As the joint enlarges, the big toe is pushed against, or on top of, the other toes, causing a deformity. Bunions develop as a result of an inherited structural defect or arthritis, but they can become painful and exacerbated by wearing high heels with pointy toe boxes.
Metatarsalgia and Sesamoiditis
Pain across the bottom of the foot is called metatarsalgia, according to the Merck Manuals. It can be the result of poor circulation or arthritis, but it can also be caused by wearing high heels. Wearing high heels pushes all the body's weight forward onto the ball of the foot, creating pressure and causing pain. The sesamoids are two tiny bones that sit under the joint of the big toe. They can become inflamed, sore or even fractured because of repeated injury, including walking in high heels.
Morton's Neuroma
Morton's neuroma is an abnormal growth of nerve tissue between the bases of the toe bones. Neuromas usually occur between the third and fourth toes and cause a sharp, burning pain in the ball of the foot, according to the Merck Manuals. Morton's neuromas can form from the ball of the foot being squeezed too tightly by walking around in high heels.
Haglund's Deformity
Haglund's deformity, or "pump bump," gets its common name directly from high heels, or pumps. It refers to a bony enlargement on the back of the heel that is rubbed by the rigid backs of high heels, according to Riverside. The "bump" becomes red and inflamed, causing pain at the back of the heel. Haglund's deformity is thought to be hereditary, but it is aggravated by wearing high heels.
Shortening of the Achilles Tendon
Wearing high heels too often puts the foot in a downward position that acts to tighten and shorten the Achilles tendon, the strong fibrous cord that inserts into the back of the heel, according to Riverside. Keeping the foot in that position for an extended time shortens the tendon and prevents the heel from touching the ground. This can cause pain in the back of the heel and, over time, an inability to stand with the feet flat on the ground.
