Fact or Fiction: heels deform feet

[Aka_Donna]

My Dr thinks I may have the beginning of a bunion, i.e., a rotation of the big toe from inside to outside of body. My wife thinks it's something else. But in researching a common threat is "too tight toe box", i.e., wearing heels, especially pointed toes heels and the higher the worst. It sounds possible but find zero data confirming,it's just a theory.

The key factor seems to be a puffing out of one side of a disk cushion in the toe. I don't see how this can be caused by heels.

So, asking the experts: anyone here have bunion or toe changes from wearing heels?

[kayegirl]

Wouldn't call myself an expert, but my mother never, and I do mean never, wore high heel shoes, or tight toe box shoes. In fact she was very particular when buying shoes for herself and us kids, but she suffered bunions in both feet.

[Kris Burton]

I have had a bunion...painful, and required an operation to correct.At the time, I was not wearing women's high heels, so there has got to be other causes and possibilities.
It would require a podiatrist to correctly identify the cause of your problem, so do check with your doctor. Having said that, I had heard that narrow toe box shoes can cause bunions because of the way the toes are squeezed together, and I guess that effect would be heightened by the high heel. That is just conjecture on my part, your doc will know for sure, so do ask the question.

[Karren H]

Fact! High heels and hockey skates cause foot deformations. I wear both and have Haglunds Deformity also known as Bauer Bumps or Pump Bumps on both feet from 6 decades of ice skating and high heel wearing. Love my high heels and my Bauer Supreme 5000s and do not plan to stop wearing them any time soon. Fashion and ice hockey are not pain free!

[Krisi]

I suppose it would be embarrassing to ask your doctor if your problem is caused by wearing high heels, but you could probably do some research on the Internet (on medical sites) and get a good idea. Going to see a foot doctor might be a good idea.

[Stephanie47]

I "Googled" the question; "Does wearing high heel shoes cause foot damages?" and the response is overwhelming. Numerous articles on legitimate websites. There's a lot of issues to toes, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.

[joank]

Krisi,
How about asking the Doc if wearing cowboy boots with a riding heel would cause the deformity?

[docrobbysherry]

If u wear 4"+ heels every day, they could cause long term damage after many years. This was common back in the 50's when women dressed up just to go shopping at a market. And, all office workers and business women dressed to the 9's!:battingeyelashes:

[Micki_Finn]

Foot binding.

Yes the shape of feet can be changed by what you put on them.

[Krisi]

Krisi,
How about asking the Doc if wearing cowboy boots with a riding heel would cause the deformity?

For many years I performed in a country music band and actually wore cowboy boots (a few hours each night, mostly on weekends). Perhaps that is why i can wear reasonably high heels without a problem.

I have neuropathy, but no physical foot problems or damage.

[Cheryl T]

Bunions are actually genetic in their cause.

As for changes in the feet due to wearing shoes that are too tight or too whatever one has only to look back at the practice of foot binding that was practiced in the Far East.
Women's feet were considered sexual objects and the smaller the foot the more exciting it was to some. Their feet were wrapped when they were young to prevent them from growing. They became deformed in the eyes of the Westerners and actually caused the women to lose the ability to walk normally.
So yes, shoes can affect your feet in various ways, but bunions are genetic.

[Natalie5004]

Foot binding.

Yes the shape of feet can be changed by what you put on them.

The Japanese tradition for women is foot binding.

[MarinaTwelve200]

Natalie--- That's CHINESE. ;) I remember an insulting remark a Chinese Mother-in-law to be said of her future daughter in law--"Her feet are so BIG they arrive here 15 minutes before SHE does." Chinese are "sensitive" to that, ;)

[sometimes_miss]

FWIW, my colleagues who are podiatrists have rendered the opinion, that a large percentage of their practice involves treating the damage that women do to their feet from wearing high heels. I'm not a podiatrist, but over the years, have seen hundreds of women's feet who have needed surgery to correct that damage; and that's just the ones who passed through the radiology dept while I worked there. Of course, I also got to see the post operative results after the repairs were done. So It's not just my imagination. Pretend that it doesn't happen if you wish.

[kellyanne]

This appears to be fact, there is quite a bit of literature on heel size amd pain etc - another interesting one is the influence of heel height in particular sport performance.

Foot Deformities in Women Are Associated with Wearing High-Heeled Shoes
n = 150

Med Sci Monit. 2019; 25: 7746–7754.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6816328/

[suzanne]

Oh boy, can they be rough on feet. Forcing my feet down a 4 inch high ramp into a confined toe box has to create problems. But there's a plus side no one seems to mention. They are actually good for my posture and waking mechanics. This is purely anecdotal, but for me walking on heels forces my feet into a more straight forward position. I played hockey for decades as well as refereeing and coaching my kids teams. All that skating taught me to walk with feet splayed outward. The result was knee and hip pain and a diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Since I gave up the game and became more comfortable in heels, I walk with feet pointing more straight forward and there has been zero joint pain. Again, the entire orthopedic industry may denounce what I say, but I stand by my own individual story.

[Aka_Donna]

Most interesting study and especially that there is almost no difference between flat feet and mid heels. More important seems to be the shape of the toe box and the pressure on the toes sideways.