Why do high heels hurt?

Question

I wear the same pair of sneakers or my ugg boots every day of the week. I am so bored with my sad little shoe collection (1 pr of sneakers, 1 pr of uggs, a few pairs of flip flops) but every time I attempt to wear high heels my feet hurt and I get blisters. What to do?

I'm small (110 lbs) so carrying my weight isn't the problem. I think I have flat feet with no arch though.

Answer 1

First make sure you are getting the right size...Sometimes with heels you have to go up a 1/2 size or down...Then make sure they are wide enough or slim enough. Some people wear an A, (slim feet), and some wear a DD, (wide feet). Another cause could simply be you are not used to them...Normally when we walk our weight is distributed from the heel to the ball of the foot. In heels the ball of the foot takes all the weight... You could also be tightening your feet when you wear heels because you are not used to them....Put band-aides where you normally get blisters and the wear the heels around the house for a couple of weeks everyday until you are used to them, and they fit to your feet, then when you wear them outside on hard surfaces they won't hurt....Hope this helps you.....Happy shoe shopping........................

Answer 2

Once you get used to wearing them, they should not hurt other than if you've been wearing them all day long. Heels over 4.5 inches are difficult to wear because they are so high - however, most regular footwear is around 3-4 inches. I wear heels all the time and have no problems at all as long as the shoes/boots themselves are well made. Some women's heeled shoes/boots are poorly designed - if you look at the shoe itself you can see it straight away - they are not the correct shape for your foot and almost 'tilt' you forwards. I think this is just crappy design. This type of footwear is a killer and your feet ache more or less straight away after putting them on. Next time you come across somebody suffering ask to have a look at the shoe itself - you can see straight away if it's not the right shape. I cannot say exactly what is wrong with the shape, it's just not quite right. Of course, squeezing your feet into anything that is too narrow or not the right size is going to hurt but I wear my boots all day long (and they have a 4.5" heel) and barely even notice them). I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Maybe because, now, instead of using the whole of your both feet to support your entire weight, you are only using your ball of the sole. The toes will nto be able to perform its intended function (to control balance) when you only use the ball of your feet to support your entire body weight.

Maybe also, the strap is the only thing to hold your body weight onto the pair of heels. So you will get blisters at those areas where the strap and your skin are in contact. The strap might also press onto the joints of the feet (at the toes area), stressing them. This might cause the joints to become sore.

The function of the arch is to provide the "springy effect". Imagine this: You have 2 cards, a plastic card having an inverted shape and a flat plastic card. You place both cards down on a flat surface and then you apply force downwards on the card. You see that the inverted v shape card will bounce up, but the flat card just stays flat. This is a simple experiment and also a scaled down model explaining that the arch of the foot provides you with the upward force when walking.

Answer 4

High heels put more pressure on your forefoot because the feet tend to slide down and forward. This concentrates the pressure on a smaller area than for normal heels.

There are two factors to work on:

1. The design of the shoes must minimize the pressure concentration.

2. You must exercise the muscles in your feet to sustain the altered posture.

The first issue you can solve by buying good quality. Look for shoes where the midfoot part has a curvature rather than being straight. This will minimize the tendency of the foot to slide forward and reduce the pressure concentration on your toes.

The second issue you can solve by training. Work yourself up to higher and higher heels and remember that some women can wear heels all the time with no problems.

Remember also that heels are indeed sexy, elegant and very feminine, and it is the right of every woman to wear them.

Answer 5

I used to have a lot of trouble walking in high heels, but then I read an article in InStyle magazine that was all about how to walk properly. Try putting most of your weight on the front of your feet. That keeps you from having a lot of pressure on your heels, which would make your feet hurt. I never wore heels because I didn't think I could walk in them, but what you shoul do is go buy a pair of nice heels, with a not-too-high heel. Don't try anything too drastic or crazy, just a normal high heeled shoe and then work your way up to whatever height you want. Hope this helps!

Answer 6

You could try those pads that you place under the balls of your feet when you wear high heels. They're called Scholl Party Feet. High heels hurt everybody it's beacause the weight of your whole body is placed on the balls of your feet. maybe try alternate different shoes more like wear uggs/sneakers in the morning, heels in the afternoon + uggs again at night or whichever way suits!

Answer 7

Don't buy cheap shoes, they don't have to expensive. But quality counts when it comes to shoes. Also maybe your walking wrong,sneaker and uggs are different then high heals. Try to walk around in the house with them first or just take the pain and when your feet gets use to the heal they wont hurt anymore. But make sure not to buy cheap shoes, and make sure there the right size.

Answer 8

Changing between flats and high heels does not help, you may need to become more accustomed to higher heels. Its mostly down to experience, try low heels then work up. Ultimately try to stick within a height of 2 inches from what you wore the day before etc. Check out the below link...

Answer 9

I guess high heels are not meat for distance walking. You can check for flat feet wet your feet and step on floor. The arch with its size can be clearly seen.

Answer 10

yeah you could have flat feet or the actual high heel could be too tight or your feet aren't used to being all high up like in the back