Rehabilitating feet from high heel use?
November 25, 2015 11:06 AM Subscribe
I used to walk in heels, run in heels, practically sleep in heels, and its finally caught up to me. Help?
For 10+ years I have worn high heels regularly, practically on a daily basis. I recently have switched to low heels on the weekends and flats the majority of the week, but I am really feeling its effects. It started with being unable to run more than two miles without shooting pains a year ago, but now I am starting to feel it when I walk. I went to the doctor yesterday and she recommended icing it, supportive tennis shoes and 4 ibuprofen with a meal every 6 hours.
I know YANMD but how can I be proactive and work on reversing the effects of my excessive heel wearing. Any shoe recommendations? Anyone else gone through this? I'll work on getting in with a podatrist but .. help?
For 10+ years I have worn high heels regularly, practically on a daily basis. I recently have switched to low heels on the weekends and flats the majority of the week, but I am really feeling its effects. It started with being unable to run more than two miles without shooting pains a year ago, but now I am starting to feel it when I walk. I went to the doctor yesterday and she recommended icing it, supportive tennis shoes and 4 ibuprofen with a meal every 6 hours.
I know YANMD but how can I be proactive and work on reversing the effects of my excessive heel wearing. Any shoe recommendations? Anyone else gone through this? I'll work on getting in with a podatrist but .. help?
The thing with heels is they affect your entire posture, from your toes to your hips and up the spine to your shoulders. After seeing what it did to my mom's hips and knees (along with arthritis), I rarely wear heels above a half inch.
correcaminos is right that it could be the Achilles tendon, or rather the connected muscles. This source says, "many women who wear high heels often suffer a shortening of the Achilles tendon because once the heel is pointed upwards, it tightens up. Stretching it again or switching to flats can be very painful; it can even lead to plantar fasciitis."
Maybe try a gentle stretching regimen for the calf and back muscles?
posted by zennie at 11:54 AM on November 25, 2015
correcaminos is right that it could be the Achilles tendon, or rather the connected muscles. This source says, "many women who wear high heels often suffer a shortening of the Achilles tendon because once the heel is pointed upwards, it tightens up. Stretching it again or switching to flats can be very painful; it can even lead to plantar fasciitis."
Maybe try a gentle stretching regimen for the calf and back muscles?
posted by zennie at 11:54 AM on November 25, 2015
Best answer: I went through something similar after only wearing heels a short time. That's because I (without knowing it at the time) already had a tendency to to put my weight forward towards the ball of my feet even when I was just sitting and standing in flats. So when I used heels this only exaccerbated my habits and it shortened the tendons underneath my foot and created heel spurs. What helped the problem immensely for me:
1) Zero-drop shoes. These are shoes with ZERO incline. Most flats actually do actually have a slight incline, even sneakers which isn't healthy for anyone really. You specifically have to search for "zero-drop shoes" Sketchers has some, so do many companies such as Merrel, Vivo Barefoot and New Balance.
2) Barefoot shoes (to wear ONLY around the house at first). Barefoot shoes are zero-drop by nature, but in addition to being zero-drop they have very thin soles. The thin sole helps to strengthen the bones of your feet and ankles. For millions of years man walked around the rough earth barefoot most of the time and in certain countries people still do. These peoples have healthy foot bone structure. But modern man often wears shoes that are too thick in the soles so the bones of the feet become weak and inflexible. Because of this when you first start wearing barefoot shoes they may hurt to walk in on hard surfaces like concrete. When you first wear them it's best to start on soft surfaces like your own wood floors at home etc. As the bones in your feet become stronger you'll eventually be able to walk for hours outside in the concrete without any pain and even run in them.
3) Alexander technique: This is expensive but it can be helpful if you have bad walking habits. A good alexander technique teacher can give you private lessons on better use of your body. It helped me to stop my terrible habits that were causing me pain without me realizing.
posted by manderin at 12:11 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
1) Zero-drop shoes. These are shoes with ZERO incline. Most flats actually do actually have a slight incline, even sneakers which isn't healthy for anyone really. You specifically have to search for "zero-drop shoes" Sketchers has some, so do many companies such as Merrel, Vivo Barefoot and New Balance.
2) Barefoot shoes (to wear ONLY around the house at first). Barefoot shoes are zero-drop by nature, but in addition to being zero-drop they have very thin soles. The thin sole helps to strengthen the bones of your feet and ankles. For millions of years man walked around the rough earth barefoot most of the time and in certain countries people still do. These peoples have healthy foot bone structure. But modern man often wears shoes that are too thick in the soles so the bones of the feet become weak and inflexible. Because of this when you first start wearing barefoot shoes they may hurt to walk in on hard surfaces like concrete. When you first wear them it's best to start on soft surfaces like your own wood floors at home etc. As the bones in your feet become stronger you'll eventually be able to walk for hours outside in the concrete without any pain and even run in them.
3) Alexander technique: This is expensive but it can be helpful if you have bad walking habits. A good alexander technique teacher can give you private lessons on better use of your body. It helped me to stop my terrible habits that were causing me pain without me realizing.
posted by manderin at 12:11 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Can you get a referral for physical therapy? That might do you more good than any podiatrist if you don't have bone spurs, etc. They'll give you exercises, stretches and maybe even some massage to rehabilitate your range of motion and supporting muscles. If your insurance covers it, it would be a less expensive first step than Alexander technique. It's hard to recommend more without a definitive diagnosis--is it achilles tendonitis? bursitis? plantar fasciitis? All of the above?
My other recommendation is good supportive shoes with a Superfeet insole whenever you're walking more than 10 minutes. Even inside on the weekend when you're doing chores! Every PT I've seen recommends only one or two brands of OTC insoles, and the one common one is Superfeet. I would wear these in a good pair of sneakers (New Balance, Saucony, etc.).
posted by purple_bird at 1:40 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
My other recommendation is good supportive shoes with a Superfeet insole whenever you're walking more than 10 minutes. Even inside on the weekend when you're doing chores! Every PT I've seen recommends only one or two brands of OTC insoles, and the one common one is Superfeet. I would wear these in a good pair of sneakers (New Balance, Saucony, etc.).
posted by purple_bird at 1:40 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
On what manderin said: My husband and I both switched to barefoot shoes (which are also zero drop) but it takes some time to adjust to them. I wore heels daily for about 3 years. If you choose to go this route, do it slowly, otherwise you may damage your body more (with heavy heel strikes).
Once you get used to barefoot shoes, though, they're magical. We went backpacking with them over the summer, and it's so much easier to balance when you can use individual muscles in your feet rather than just use it as a giant stump. My husband swears they helped improve his posture and got rid of his back pain.
This Merrell is currently my daily wear. I'm also considering getting a pair from SoftStar.
posted by ethidda at 1:51 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
Once you get used to barefoot shoes, though, they're magical. We went backpacking with them over the summer, and it's so much easier to balance when you can use individual muscles in your feet rather than just use it as a giant stump. My husband swears they helped improve his posture and got rid of his back pain.
This Merrell is currently my daily wear. I'm also considering getting a pair from SoftStar.
posted by ethidda at 1:51 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Oh my goodness!! Get your feet pain free (or mostly so) before you go to barefoot footwear. Going minimalist ruined my feet (I'm in pain always- even 3 years later). Follow your doctor's instructions, call and ask for a PT referral and get yourself sorted before you ask your feet to do things they've never ever done before. It's akin to asking a morbidly obese person to go running. Yes, running is good for your health, but it might not be the best thing for a 300lb body- just as barefoot shoes may be perfectly ok for healthy feet, but not for damaged ones. Once you damage your feet, it takes a long, long time for them to heal. Be careful.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 2:51 PM on November 25, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by PorcineWithMe at 2:51 PM on November 25, 2015 [14 favorites]
Going barefoot carefully and over time, along with intensive calf stretching, resolved my foot pain. The idea as I understand it is that being barefoot as much as possible strengthens the muscles in your feet, so that your foot muscles can take over the support duties that shoes previously took on. It is important, though, that you combine that with stretching your calves and ankles.
posted by mchorn at 3:19 PM on November 25, 2015
posted by mchorn at 3:19 PM on November 25, 2015
Wait until you see a podiatrist, don't waste money on guesses on what might or might not work. If you've got a long wait, 2nd purple_bird (re a running shoe with an OTC insole like SuperFeet or Birkenstock's Blue insole, if that works. You just have to try them out to see what's most comfortable. Ask at the store - go to a shoe store that sells "comfort shoes", that'd be your google phrase. Gel inserts you'd get at most pharmacies are useless.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:20 PM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:20 PM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I would definitely not go right to barefoot style shoes from constant heel-wearing, but if you can do no shoes in the house then it is a great place to start. Work on calf stretches and foot strengthening stuff like calf raises, single leg and both together.
posted by poffin boffin at 3:25 PM on November 25, 2015
posted by poffin boffin at 3:25 PM on November 25, 2015
Another vote for physical therapist. This problem affects your daily activities. For me, my (running) achilles problems were caused by weak glutes, which meant I overused my calves, and inflamed the achilles. Because the whole carriage works together for walking, it might be obvious what to strengthen and fix. PT can look at all of it, and check it all in one go.
posted by gregglind at 5:39 PM on November 25, 2015
posted by gregglind at 5:39 PM on November 25, 2015
Don't go straight to zero-drop/barefoot shoes! I definitely agree with the recommendation to see a podiatrist then physical therapist if it makes sense. The human body is amazing at adapting, but these things don't change overnight. You can't force it, so just guide yourself toward what you need.
posted by belau at 8:23 PM on November 25, 2015
posted by belau at 8:23 PM on November 25, 2015
Go to a podiatrist or cobbler and get custom orthodic inserts made for your shoes.
In terms of quality of life increase : dollars spent ratio, custom orthodic inserts are without a doubt the best money I have ever spent ever in my entire life.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:51 PM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
In terms of quality of life increase : dollars spent ratio, custom orthodic inserts are without a doubt the best money I have ever spent ever in my entire life.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:51 PM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
IANAD but I am a massage therapist, and I think you should go to a good, sports- or medical-focused massage therapist.
When you wear heels habitually, your calf muscles are shortened, and they need to be massaged and stretched. Unless you have signs of inflammation (swelling, redness, hot skin) you should use heat, not ice, because it allows your muscles to loosen. Ice might feel good temporarily because it numbs the area, but it won't actually help the underlying issue.
posted by mysterious_stranger at 5:35 PM on November 26, 2015
When you wear heels habitually, your calf muscles are shortened, and they need to be massaged and stretched. Unless you have signs of inflammation (swelling, redness, hot skin) you should use heat, not ice, because it allows your muscles to loosen. Ice might feel good temporarily because it numbs the area, but it won't actually help the underlying issue.
posted by mysterious_stranger at 5:35 PM on November 26, 2015
Try massaging your calves and feet with your hands and/or lacrosse balls. Try this youtube search: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=myofascial+calves+feet.
Unfortunately, in my experience at least, doctors don't know anything about soft-tissue injuries or mobility and will just tell you to take drugs etc. Physical therapy could help a lot, but you might be able to get through this on your own if you're the kind of person who can get into something like foam/lax ball rolling and stretching by watching some videos.
posted by callmejay at 6:51 AM on November 29, 2015
Unfortunately, in my experience at least, doctors don't know anything about soft-tissue injuries or mobility and will just tell you to take drugs etc. Physical therapy could help a lot, but you might be able to get through this on your own if you're the kind of person who can get into something like foam/lax ball rolling and stretching by watching some videos.
posted by callmejay at 6:51 AM on November 29, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
Good luck!
posted by correcaminos at 11:29 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]