The harmful effects of frequently wearing high heels.

You should avoid wearing high heels for several consecutive days. Photo: Chau Anh

According to Dr. Ngo Van Toan: "Abroad, they monitor and compile statistics on this disease, but in Vietnam, there are no statistics yet."

Dr. Ngo Van Toan, former head of the Orthopedics Department at Viet Duc Hospital, said that in Europe, America, and developed countries, due to women wearing high heels for many years, there is a medical condition called "big toe misalignment" in medical literature.

"In Vietnam, there are also patients with misaligned big toes or heel spurs related to high heels, mostly women over 40, and some of these patients require surgery for treatment," Mr. Toan said.

Bunions

Some women, after years of wearing high heels, find their big toe gradually shifting towards the next toe. If they continue wearing tight-fitting shoes, this shift worsens, and the bony protrusion on the inner edge of the foot, where the big toe is located, becomes more prominent. In some cases, this develops into a large, unsightly callus, while in others, the bone protrudes into a large bump. A foot with a tilted big toe, even one that overlaps the next toe, becomes aesthetically unappealing.

This condition is considered to be bunion, and one of the identified causes is prolonged wearing of high heels, although other possible causes include bone and joint problems or diabetes.

Dr. Toan explained that when wearing high-heeled shoes with pointed toes, the shoes tend to tightly hug the toes, with the big toe pointing towards the adjacent toes. If the pointed toe is worn for an extended period, this tendency of the big toe pointing inward is not temporary and can be resolved by taking the shoes off. It can cause permanent misalignment and deformation of the joint surface if left untreated.

In addition, a crooked toe can cause the foot to lose its stability, affecting posture when standing or walking...

After years of wearing high heels, the big toe gradually shifts towards the next toe. (Illustrative image)

Choose high heelshow?

According to Dr. Toan, almost every woman owns a pair of high heels; some have pointed heels, some have block heels, some have comfortable round toes, but there are also shoes with extremely high stiletto heels over 10cm, with pointed toes that tightly constrict the toes. In cases where the shoes are both high and pointed, and the material is stiff, they are not convenient for women to walk in for extended periods.

Women should avoid wearing shoes that are too high or too pointed, and if possible, on days when they have to wear high heels for extended periods, they should occasionally rest their feet on comfortable, low-heeled sandals.

In cases of a misaligned big toe or deformity of the foot's articular surface, a medical examination is necessary to determine the appropriate treatment, although surgery may be required. In such cases, doctors will open the deformed area to realign the bones and ligaments, possibly using screws to fix the bone in place. After corrective surgery, patients will need to undergo rehabilitation exercises. For cases of plantar fascia pain or temporary pain from wearing high heels, massage therapy may be helpful.

The harmful effects of wearing high heels with pointed heels and tight-fitting toes.

According to Dr. Truong Cong Dung, a specialist in musculoskeletal endoscopy in Ho Chi Minh City, one of the most noticeable effects of wearing high heels with excessively high, pointed heels and a narrow toe box is loss of balance, leading to a high risk of slipping, falling, and spraining the ankle.

In the long run, wearing these shoes too many times a week for extended periods can negatively impact the leg muscles, such as the balance between the anterior and posterior muscles.The most common location for pain is the heel.

When the weight-bearing points of the foot change, and the sequence of weight-bearing also changes over a long period of time, the foot's natural weight-bearing capacity will no longer be normal.

These negative effects will not be limited to the feet but will also impact the knees and back, causing pain due to shortened calf muscles, increased risk of bone spurs, spinal curvature, abnormal gait, and accelerated progression of varicose veins.