Kristina Lorraine Photography

Wedding season is in full bloom. Although wedding dress trends continue to allow for more comfort (pockets!), unless the wedding is on the beach, the same is not necessarily true of footwear.

Heels continue to dominate the shoe category of choice for most brides and bridesmaids. Unfortunately, by the time the ceremony and photo sessions end, your feet and back may hurt too much to enjoy the dance party reception. Not cool.

Our feet and backs ache after wearing heels for an extended period of time because the shoes change our body’s natural alignment.

“Your body has to adjust its normal posture to accommodate the high heels,” explains Dr. Troy Ardoin, a physician at Arkansas Specialty Orthopaedics specializing in foot and ankle care. “The higher the heel, the more it has to accommodate. Your hips lean slightly forward, and your belly is out, so it causes you to use more of your spinal and hamstring muscles. These are muscles you don’t normally use, so it causes you to feel tired.”

In fact, if you wear tall heels every day, they can cause damage. “If your feet are continuously cramped into a pointed toe, it can cause ingrown toenails or cause your bunions to hurt more,” says Dr. Ardoin.

Wearing heels that are taller than 3 inches on a regular basis can even cause shortening of the Achilles muscle, which can lead to ongoing pain, particularly when you return to wearing flats or go barefoot. A heel 3 inches or taller increases the pressure on the ball of the foot by 76 percent. By comparison, a heel 2 inches or higher increases that pressure by 57 percent, and a heel 1 inch or higher increases it by 22 percent.

MBG Photo

A stiletto with a very narrow heel also can increase your susceptibility to an ankle sprain. In contrast, a heel with a wider base can give you more stability and is generally more comfortable. The solution?

“A wedge or platform is better because it increases the overall height, so the foot is more level,” Dr. Ardoin explains. “It gives the perception of a high heel, but is definitely a lot less stressful on your body.”

But, because fashion hurts and those heels are too fab to pass on, Dr. Ardoin offers a few more tips to help alleviate some of the pain of wearing heels.

  • Buy heels that are less than 2 inches tall.
  • Avoid a very pointed toe. Look for shoes that have a wider toe box and offer cushioning in the inner sole for the balls of the feet.
  • Don’t go cheap. The better the shoe quality is, the better it feels.
  • Buy shoes at the end of the day — really. Your feet swell from standing during the day, so this will ensure a better fit.
  • Wear heels to walk down the aisle and for pictures, and then exchange them for a pair of flats for the reception and dancing.
  • Take frequent breaks out of your heels and stretch your Achilles tendon with a jogger’s stretch. 

And after you put your heels and dancing shoes away for the evening?

Dr. Ardoin recommends further exercises to stretch out your heel cord and hamstring to help your muscles recover. Core strengthening exercises and stretching your lower back muscles also help you recuperate.

Now go enjoy the big day and make sure your feet enjoy it, too!

 

Dr. Troy Ardoin is the recipient of numerous accolades and has presented research at several national meetings. As a subspecialist in surgery of the foot and ankle, he has helped thousands of people and treated the full range of foot and ankle conditions and injuries.