IMPACT OF IMPROPER FOOTWEAR ON POSTURE AND JOINT PAIN

The luxury footwear market is indeed huge and easily sells discomforting footwear and churns profits in billions all while marketing nothing more than soring ankles and heels that have long-term effects on not only heels and ankles but overall posture and body. While many may be unaware of this, some schooled individuals are aware yet fall for the bait set up by high-end footwear fashion brands. The following paragraphs will explain how wrong footwear choices for style impact our posture resulting in chronic joint pains. 

Footwear is simply meant to add support and comfort. Well, that was their initial purpose, which apparently lurks behind, only to be topped by a knack for looking classy and adding a statement to an already mesmerizing and well-tailored piece of fabric. When shoes or any footwear lack needed support and comfort and instead distribute weight unevenly, our bones and joints become the first victims. 

ROLE OF FOOTWEAR IN POSTURE

Posture in the simplest terms can be understood as the alignment of the head, spine, and legs in position to one another, which is vital for equal distribution of our body weight to avoid excessive strain on muscles, ensuring locomotion as smooth as the newly launched Vande Bharat. Misalignment of the body results in the cascade mechanism of uneven weight distribution, excess muscle strain, and finally impacting bones and associated joints.

The effect of high heels: Despite being an excellent fashion choice that adds extra inches to the height, high heels do the most damage of all the available footwear choices. Shifting the center of gravity of the body and hence leaning the body forward to compensate for the poor alignment, footwear with two inches of heel or above exerts more pressure on the toes and balls of the feet and damages the tendon over time disorienting the lower back and spine and posture as well.

The effect of flats or shoes with a minimal arch: The sole of our feet have a natural arch that must be maintained for proper alignment and when shoes with minimum to no arch support find their usage more frequently, they tend to collapse the heel inward resulting in overpronation and disrupting the natural alignment of the hip, knees, and lower back. 

The effect of flip-flops or sandals: Flip-flops and sandals have been rewarded as the go-to footwear owing to their comfort but that is all they offer. Flip flops and sandals just like flats alarmingly lack arch support that has similar effects as flats. Over a period of extended use, they too, disturb the natural posture of the body and yield knee and back pain. 

Effects of tight or ill-fitted shoes: Nothing can aggravate your joint pain more than ill-fitted or tight footwear. Tight shoes not only impede blood circulation but also pressurize the toes to the extent of discomfort, pain, and disorientation leading to more serious conditions such as bunions, hammertoes, and corns. On the other hand, loose footwear lacks any support needed for comfortable walking or running. 

Initially, it may sound all hyped-up and hoax until you are the one that starts relating to each word. It is not entirely prohibited to abandon elegant footwear choices, only their limited-time use is recommended by leading podiatrists and general physicians. To maintain healthy feet and hence healthy posture and body, it is necessary to use comfortable shoes more frequently than those being sold at the high-end fashion stores in your city.