Flat shoes are as bad as high heels

Contrary to common belief, flat shoes can be as damaging as high-heeled shoes. / Korea Times file

By Yoon Ja-young

Most people know that stilettos and other high heeled shoes are bad for women’s leg muscles. Some health-conscious people would thus choose ballet flats, but orthopedists say that flat shoes can be as damaging as high heeled shoes. They recommend wearing an inch high heel as best for walking.

“Women often wear flat shoes and sandals at this time of year, but these can cause Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis by putting pressure on the soles,” said Prof. Chung Duke-whan at Kyunghee University Medical Center. “They know that high heels aren’t good for their ankles, and they also believe flat shoes won’t put a burden on their feet because these shoes are designed like soles without heels. However, the reality isn’t so,” he said.

Flat shoes cause too much tension on the arch of the foot, and too much weight is put on the heel bones. They thus cause inflammation in the Achilles tendon or can lead to plantar fasciitis, where tissues become inflamed along the bottom of the feet. Flip flop shoes, another popular summer item, aren’t recommended either as these shoes, which lack adequate cushion, tire one’s feet by directly putting pressure on the soles. These cause plantar fasciitis.

When these problems occur, the doctor recommended taking a rest for a week or two and refraining from walking much. Laying a heel insert pad in the shoes can also help to minimize the shock on the heels when walking.

Prof. Chung, however, warned against getting steroid shots for temporary relief. “Frequent steroid shots weaken the texture around the sole, and the injection on the weight point could aggravate pain and lead to a tear in the plantar fasciitis,” he said.

The doctor thus recommended shoes with an inch heel as most suitable for walking. So why are women obsessed with wearing high heeled shoes when they know that these aren’t good for their health? Women think they look sexier in high heel shoes and research has shown that they really look so. In a study published in the journal “Evolution and Human Behavior” by a research team at the University of Portsmouth, the researchers filmed women while they walked for four minutes wearing flat shoes and six-centimeter-heels. Analysis of the film showed that women walked more quickly in heels, but took shorter strides. They also swing their hips more. To sum up, they walk in a more “feminine” way.

However, high heels undeniably cause health problems. The most common of these is hallux valgus, in which the toes are crowded into a narrow space and pressured to end up causing the big toes to bend inwards. According to the National Health Insurance, the number of people who were diagnosed with the hallux valgus grew by 77 percent from 2005 to 2009, and female patients outnumbered male patients by seven times.

A study by the research team at the Manchester Metropolitan University also noted that women who wear high heels often had a shortening of calf muscles and thickening of the Achilles. Some of them ended up experiencing discomfort when standing flat on the floor.

If one can’t go without high heels despite all these side effects, doctors advise taking them off and taking a rest from time to time, and stretching the calf muscles to prevent pain on ankles, knees or back. Round toed shoes incur fewer toe problems, and pointed high heeled shoes like stilettos had better be avoided except for special occasions.