The Reason High Heels Cause Foot Pain and How to Avoid It

They say beauty is pain, but in the 21st century, we can’t possibly still be trapped in this old adage! There’s no denying that high heels are beautiful, but how many of us have ended a night of wearing our feet in heels only to suffer absolute agony?

Most high heels shoes cause problems because they put you in a constant tip-toe mode that’s unnatural. Numerous perfectly-aligned joints, muscles, and bones receive abnormal stress while wearing heels that can lead to pain, discomfort, spasms, and even worse.

You might be surprised to hear that high heel foot pain isn’t the only problem with this style; they also affect your whole body, from your spine to your knees. Read on to discover exactly why these shoes are bad for you and what you can do to turn the tables on high heel pain.

Strain On Your Ankle Joints is a Major High Heel Shoe Problem

When your feet are in heels, your ankle joints are pushed forward into a weak angle they aren’t used to, which makes them unstable and more prone to injury. Your body will have to work harder to maintain this position and can give into a twist or sprain at vulnerable moments. The angle puts stress on your back, hips and knees, which can lead to arthritis or other joint pain.

Plus, wearing heels can restrict blood flow in your lower extremities, leading to unsightly spider veins later in life. Instead of giving in to high heel ache, try beautiful lower heels like our Encore. These have excellent arch support for high heels, providing much-needed relief to your ankle joints. They further relieve high heel pain thanks to comfortable, removable Curves & Pods® premium removable footbeds.

Common Source of High Heel Ache: Too Much Pressure On Forefoot

With so much of the foot poured into the front of the shoe, common foot problems like hammer toes, bunions, ingrown toenails and Morton’s Neuroma can easily result. In extreme cases, you can get a stress fracture from putting your feet in heels too often. There’s not much arch support for high heels and the extra pressure on your toes and heels can slowly flatten the natural padding on the bottoms of your feet, leading to metatarsalgia. 

So, what’s the solution to high heel shoe problems like these? Our Curves & Pods® premium removable footbed works to protect your natural cushioning and provide a bit extra TLC for your tired feet. If you have experienced metatarsalgia in the past, check out this guide to the best shoes for ball of the foot pain.

Shortening of Calves and Achilles Contributes to High Heel Foot Pain

Both your Achilles tendons and calf muscles will be shortened in the tip-toe position of high heels, which can cause tightness in the lower legs and lead to pain and spasms. If you wear your feet in heels for prolonged periods, you can even develop tendonitis or shorten your Achilles tendon permanently, making it uncomfortable to ever wear flats.

Avoid all high heel foot pain by sticking to our fashionable, feet-friendly low heel options like the Dillie boot. This suede boot is classic, lightweight and oh-so-comfortable, featuring Taos Curves & Pods® molded EVA dual density removable footbed for maximum arch support for heels.

Needless to say, high heels pain isn’t worth it. Don’t worry, though: You don’t have to ditch heels altogether. Our stylish lower heels are a more supportive and better option that avoids all common high heel shoe problems. Do yourself a favor and ditch the Jimmy Choos; swap them for the supportive yet chic Encore instead.

Shop Wool Clogs