Definition of High Heels - By: David Jones

High heels are simply footwear that raises the heel of the wearer's foot to a level higher than the forefoot. Their aim is to give the aesthetic illusion of longer, more slender and more toned legs. The history of high heels extends as far back as 3500 B.C, typically they were worn by the upper class, and over time there have been many varieties of shoes made. Early versions consisted of leather pieces held together by lacing and worn by both men and woman for mostly fashionable purposes. In the 16th century people began making shoes in two pieces with a more flexible top and a stiffer sole or bottom. With the evolution of fashion, shoes today are constructed from many different kinds of materials including leather, cloth, straw, canvas, rubber, and even plastic.

Varieties and Styles
Different styles of the many various high heels today include:
Kitten (4cm heel)
Stiletto (can extend as far as 20cm)
Pump
Court shoe
Block
Tapered
Blade
Wedge

How high?
The following breakdown shows the 3 major categories of heels according to height.
A "low heel" is considered less than 2.5 inches (6 cm), while heels between 2.5 and 3.5 inches (8.5 cm) are considered "mid heels", and anything over that is considered a "high heel"

Effects of High Heels on the body
Many podiatrists have argued about the effects on feet in time from wearing high heels. Some says they can cause:

Foot pain
Increase sprains and fractures
Foot deformities, including hammertoes and bunions
May predispose to degenerative changes in the knee joint
Foot and tendon problems.

Studies also prove the effects of having the foot in this position significantly increases lower back dysfunction and pain as well as aggravation of any existing postural problem. However, women are no strangers to pain as a result of being in style when you consider everything from bras, girdles, pantyhose, hats (think Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie at the royal wedding in 2011) and of course high heel shoes.

Why suffer foot pain from high heels?
Strongly argued reasons for wearing high heels include:
Accentuates the appearance of the calf muscles.
Alters gait in what is considered a seductive fashion
Appear taller.
Legs appear longer.
Foot appears smaller.
The toes appear shorter.

However you look at it high heel shoes have been around a long time, and they are certainly going to be around for a lot longer. I guess we shouldn’t complain too much as podiatrists…we’ll always be in work  High heels are simply footwear that raises the heel of the wearer's foot to a level higher than the forefoot. Their aim is to give the aesthetic illusion of longer, more slender and more toned legs. The history of high heels extends as far back as 3500 B.C, typically they were worn by the upper class, and over time there have been many varieties of shoes made. Early versions consisted of leather pieces held together by lacing and worn by both men and woman for mostly fashionable purposes. In the 16th century people began making shoes in two pieces with a more flexible top and a stiffer sole or bottom. With the evolution of fashion, shoes today are constructed from many different kinds of materials including leather, cloth, straw, canvas, rubber, and even plastic.

Varieties and Styles
Different styles of the many various high heels today include:
Kitten (4cm heel)
Stiletto (can extend as far as 20cm)
Pump
Court shoe
Block
Tapered
Blade
Wedge

How high?
The following breakdown shows the 3 major categories of heels according to height.
A "low heel" is considered less than 2.5 inches (6 cm), while heels between 2.5 and 3.5 inches (8.5 cm) are considered "mid heels", and anything over that is considered a "high heel"

Effects of High Heels on the body
Many podiatrists have argued about the effects on feet in time from wearing high heels. Some says they can cause:

Foot pain
Increase sprains and fractures
Foot deformities, including hammertoes and bunions
May predispose to degenerative changes in the knee joint
Foot and tendon problems.

Studies also prove the effects of having the foot in this position significantly increases lower back dysfunction and pain as well as aggravation of any existing postural problem. However, women are no strangers to pain as a result of being in style when you consider everything from bras, girdles, pantyhose, hats (think Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie at the royal wedding in 2011) and of course high heel shoes.

Why suffer foot pain from high heels?
Strongly argued reasons for wearing high heels include:
Accentuates the appearance of the calf muscles.
Alters gait in what is considered a seductive fashion
Appear taller.
Legs appear longer.
Foot appears smaller.
The toes appear shorter.

However you look at it high heel shoes have been around a long time, and they are certainly going to be around for a lot longer. I guess we shouldn’t complain too much as podiatrists…we’ll always be in work

About the Author

Kent Brian is an experienced writer of who has written many articles on Heel Pain and other health related problems. In this article he has written about Heel spurs.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/David---Jones/143299

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