High Heels bad for knees

Some women who want to add a bit of height and walk comfortably opt for wide heels. But comfort is the problem: Because they can be suffered for longer, such shoes are just likely to cause knee arthritis, scientists report in The Lancet medical journal this week.

“It takes a long time to feel the effects of knee osteoarthritis – and once you do, it’s too late,” said Dr. Casey Kerrigan, lead researcher of the study and associate professor at Harvard Medical School’s department of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

“I liken it to smoking. One cigarette is not painful but (repeated), over a lifetime, it is. Wide heeled shoes feels comfortable, so women wear them all day long,” Kerrigan said. “They are better for your feet than stiletto heels but just as bad for your knees.”

In the study, researchers had 20 women wear two pairs of shoes with three-inch heels, one with a narrow heel and the other with a thick one. They compared the pressure put on the women’s knees by both types of shoes. The women also walked barefoot to provide a reading of normal pressure.

The scientists found both types of heels applied equal amounts of pressure to the knees. Compared with walking barefoot, they increased pressure on the inside of the knee by 26 per cent.

Increased pressure on the knee eventually leads to arthritis, experts say.

The idea that high heels are bad for your health isn’t new. Scientists have warned women for years they contribute to problems ranging from corns and calluses to hammer toes, tendinitis, knee pain, sprained ankles and back problems.

Kerrigan agrees wider shoes do feel more comfortable – they spread the shock absorption on the foot and usually have more room for toes but “Heels are bad, whether they are thin or wide.

Her recommendation? “Simple and unpopular… wear no heels at all.”