The Effect of Lifted Heels
Modern lifestyle has brought us many wonderful inventions, shoes are a good example of that. They protect us from dangerous elements like sharp rocks, heavy objects crushing our toes, and freezing or hot surfaces, they keep our ankles stable on unstable ground, give us grip for better sports performance, help us make a fashion statement or belong to a certain group or simply make us taller and our legs appear longer. Yet, more often than not, shoes that modify our body’s performance come with unwanted side effects, which, if exposed to on a regular basis, can have a big impact on our health.
Lifted heels
The use of lifted heels has been around for thousands of years. It ranges from lifting the butcher’s feet to avoid standing in the blood of animals to securing the warrior’s feet in the stirrup on the horse when standing up to shoot a bow, to enabling European aristocrats to appear taller to denote more authority.
When you wear lifted heels, they shift your body’s centre of gravity forward. This creates a chain reaction of events to pull you back in alignment and prevent you from falling on your face. The Achilles tendon is shortened, which causes the calf muscles to flex increasingly. Hamstrings are locked in an eccentric position, while an excessive curvature in the lower back with the pelvis tilted forward makes the buttocks stick out. This tension creeps up the chain all the way to your neck, leading to the fairly ubiquitous complaint of a tight neck. The higher the heels the greater the effect.
By preventing the heels from dropping fully as they would naturally in bare feet you add new tension to the body. This tension is like a ticking bomb waiting for the weakest body part to give up at a seemingly random moment.
Did you pull your back muscle while moving that chair or starting a lawn mower the other day because the chair was too heavy or the movement pattern was too demanding, or have you been setting up the stage for disaster years prior?
We usually think of women’s stilettos when talking about high heels, but the effects are the same no matter the shoe. Most running shoes have elevated heels as well!
Here are some fun facts from The Align Method book by Aaron Alexander: one-inch heels add 22 per cent more pressure on the forefoot, two-inch heels add 57 per cent, and three-inch heels add 76 per cent.
Is this heel torture any different from the neck-lengthening practice of the Kayan people in Africa that we Westerners think of as outrageous?
I have to admit, I am a big fan of women’s high heels, and I don’t see any problems with occasionally wearing the sexy ‘foot coffins’. Consider it a tool like any other to achieve a certain effect, be it longer legs, more height, protruding buttocks or a fashion statement. The only issue is the consistency.
Purchasing shoes
The good news is that your body’s ability to restore its potential is incredible. You can reverse the damage you have caused with decades of improper footwear and lack of mobility. There are two things that will have the most impact. The first one is to go barefoot anytime you can. The second one is to reassess your footwear and purchase the kind that will give your foot the most ability to function the way nature intended. All other shoes are reserved for special occasions.
Your feet work hard to support you, they deserve the best!
What are the factors you should focus on when purchasing shoes to allow for the best mobility, stability, strength and sensory experience of your feet?
Inspect the toe box of the shoe. Can you spread your toes when barefoot? How about inside the shoe? Look for shoes with a wide toe box that allows you the ability to spread your toes fully.
Check the soles. The role-up test is essential to see if the shoe is going to restrict you and offer too much of the unwanted support. It should be fairly easy to roll up the toe of the shoe to touch the back. If not, you are likely outsourcing your foot muscles to the support of your shoe which leads to muscle weakness and a whole host of problems upstream.
Make sure the heel or toes are not elevated. This will limit the foot’s and ankle’s ROM and again cause imbalances and weakness across the whole body.
Minimalist shoes
Luckily, there is a good variety of minimalist shoes on the market, the leading brands being Vivo and Xero. Walking in minimalist shoes has been shown to increase intrinsic muscle activity in as little as 8 weeks. Just take it slowly, especially if you are unused to walking barefoot. Start with short periods on soft surfaces and increase from there.
As you continue to develop your tolerance for walking in minimalist shoes, you can also supplement your training with barefoot squats, loaded carries, lunges, etc … and eventually graduate to more demanding athletic movements like sled push and running.
Foot yoga
Make stretching your toes and feet a part of your daily morning routine. Find a squatting position (elevate your heels with a book if you can’t fully squat with your heels on the ground) and slowly put some pressure on your ankles by gently pushing your knees forward in a rocking motion. Try to go over your lateral side, don’t let your knee track inwards.
Next, sit down and roll your ankles through a full range of motion and play with the ability of your feet to create various shapes.
Plant your feet on the ground and spread your toes as wide as you can. Try to separate the activity of your big toe from the rest of them.
For a few minutes, interlace your fingers between your toes and spread them apart even further.
Step on a book or a step, with your heels hanging off the side. You can hold on to something for stability. Stretch your calves and then lift yourself all the way up on the balls of your feet. Go slowly through a full range of motion, hold at each end position and repeat it several times.
Then you put your back against the wall and do some toe raises with your legs straight. Change the angle of your legs to increase the work your tibialis has to do.
These exercises will strengthen your feet and ankles, improve your mobility and offset the detriments of the constant shoe-wearing lifestyle.
If you want to see more exercises, follow my YouTube channel to learn more.
Conclusion
Feet and hands are your connection to the world. They enable you to transfer force from the body into the world, and your brain heavily relies on that information input. Wearing highly protective and restrictive shoes all day and expecting your feet to function optimally is like wearing thick restrictive gloves all day every day and expecting the same dexterity from your hands that you have now.
Wearing high heels or restrictive shoes for an hour a day is most likely not going to cause much harm. Knowing the risks of excessive use will make you use the tool better and more efficiently in the long run.
Luckily, all the damage is reversible with deliberate and consistent daily practice.
Place your focus on what type of footwear you use on a daily basis, your healthy and regular ‘movement diet’ that includes stretching, and the amount of time you get to spend barefoot. Gradually improve your ability to get into a deep squat and rest there comfortably. Your whole body will thank you.
Resources:
https://thereadystate.com/blogs/orthotics-am-i-giving-up-a-soul-for-a-sole/
https://www.functionalmovement.com/Articles/377/testing_the_ankle_to_prevent_reinjury
The Alignment Method by Aaron Alexander
https://illumin.usc.edu/walking-in-high-heels-the-physics-behind-the-physique/