High heels could cause joint pains: Study

A team led by Alyssa B. Dufour, of the Boston University School of Public Health, focused on a group of 3378 men, including more than 1400 men and 1900 women, to examine the link between joint problems and footwear choices they made in their early life.

The volunteers gave information about the type of shoes they wore during different age-groups. For the purpose of the study, they were also asked if they had pain, aching, or stiffness in one or both feet.

’Poor shoe choice’ linked to joint pains
The findings of the study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism suggested that 19 percent men and 29 percent women suffered from foot problems on most days.

The researchers found a co-relation between 'poor shoe choices', like high heels, and joint problems, such as arthritis.

However, they couldn’t find any such link among men as they tend to wear more comfortable shoes than women. Only less than 2 percent of men wore unhealthy shoes.

The results also showed that women who wore good shoes in the past were 67 percent less likely to develop joint pains in the later years of life.

Hindfoot pain and bad shoes
The researchers concluded, "In women, we found an increased risk between hindfoot pain and shoewear.

“While more research is needed, young women should make careful choices regarding their shoe type to avoid hindfoot pain later in life, or perform stretching exercises to alleviate the effect of high heels on foot pain.”

Experts say that foot and toe conditions are among the top 20 reasons why patients aged 65 to 74 visit their doctors, but relatively little is known that a poor shoe choice can be a reason for the same.