Study: High Heels Can Cause Joint and Knee Problems

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - While high heels may be fashionable, a Iowa State University study suggests this die-hard staple of shoewear may not be that friendly on the body, according to the university news service.

University student Danielle Barkema completed her thesis on what effects high-heeled walking has on lower extremity joints. Her research, in which she was assisted by kinesiology professor Phil Martin, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics this weekend at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

They found that prolonged walking in high heels can lead to joint degeneration and knee osteoarthritis.

Barkema said she can't say with any certainty that someone who wears high heels will develop osteoarhritis.

"Based on this information, wearing high heels puts individuals at greater risk for developing osteoarthritis," she said. "And it seems to be that the higher the heel height, the greater the risk."

According to the university news service, she selected three heel heights, flat, 2 inches and 3.5 inches, and had 15 women complete walking trials. She measured forces about the knee joint and the heelstrike-induced shock wave that travels up the body and was able to capture motion and force data and translate them into results.

The higher the heel, the greater the compression on the inside of the knee. Barkema said that shows high heels could result in joint degeneration and knee osteoarthritis over time.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the study also showed wearing high heels changed the women's posture and forced their ankles, knees and hips into unnatural positions.

Barkema isn't suggesting high heels be kicked to the curb. Rather, she said, their use should be limited.

"It's pretty difficult to tell your friends not to wear high heels," she said to the Times. "Just try to limit yourself as much as possible and not wear them every single day."

High heels have had a long life. The blog Glamorous Mom   suggested high heels may have been popular as far back as 3500 B.C. when murals depicted higher classes of women wearing them.

Actors in ancient Rome and Greece would differ their shoes' heights to show varying social status of characters. High heels were worn in ancient Rome by prostitutes to signal their "profession" to possible clientele, according to the blog.

They went out of favor in the 1960s as the feminist movement "liberated the captive food of womanhood," but came back in the 1980s when feminists starting saying heels gave them power and authority.

Heels haven't always been just a woman thing, and the Times of London reported high heels were making somewhat of a comeback among men seeking a little more height.

As far as kicking the trend, NewsCore reported that Manchester Metropolitan University scientists discovered that continually wearing high heels causes the Achille's tendon to thicken and stiffen permanently. Going back to flat shoes may make calf muscles stretch painfully.

Professor Marco Nanci suggested women may want to alternate heels and flats.

The study said heel wearers should do stretching exercises at the end of the day to avoid soreness.