High Heels are a Workplace Hazard

If your workplace requires you to wear safety shoes you know you are at risk of a workplace foot injury. However, if you work in an environment that doesn’t require protective footwear you are also at risk of a foot injury, particularly if you regularly wear high heels to work.

“High heels are a major cause of short and long term foot injury,” says Anne Putnam, a Canadian certified pedorthist and president of the Pedorthic Association of Canada. “Factories, construction sites and other hazardous workplaces have strict rules in place to protect and inform employees about workplace foot injuries, but people just laugh when I suggest women working in office environments should be cautioned too.”

Although high heels can look professional and stylish, Putnam points out that they are usually narrow, often tapered and always shift the wearer’s weight unnaturally forward, on to a part of the foot that is not designed to bear this additional weight. This causes your calf muscles to shorten which forces the muscles in your knees, hips, pelvis and lower back to work harder often leading to strains and pain.

“High heels can cause bunions, corns, nerve damage, foot pain and overuse injuries,” she adds. “And prolonged high heel use will put you at a higher risk of injury even when you’re wearing flats.”

It is not necessary to give up high heels altogether, Putnam says, but shoes with a heel over 2.5 centimetres should be saved for special occasions.

Side Bar:

Canadian certified pedorthists suggest the following tips to balance your love of heels with protecting your feet.

• Commute in comfort – Wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes to and from work and save your heels for the office. If you go out for a walk at lunch switch out of your heels.

• Give your feet a break – When you are sitting at your desk kick your heels off and stretch out your feet.

• Choose short and wide – To reduce the risk of injury keep the heel height low and always select heels that have a wide base to increase the stability.

• See if foot orthotics will help – Custom foot orthotics can ease pressure on sensitive areas, so ask a certified pedorthist if orthotics are appropriate for you.

www.newscanada.com