Read Articles Of Interest From The American
Association For Women Podiatrists

The AAWP Features Articles On Women’s Foot Health, Podiatric Medicine &Informative Timely Topics For Podiatric Physicians

The American Association for Women Podiatrists is pleased to provide the following articles as part of its effort to keep our site visitors and members informed. As a related organization to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), one of the main goals of the AAWP is to inform and educate our podiatric physician members and those concerned with foot health.

So whether you are one of our member podiatric physicians, a visiting podiatrist interested in membership with the Association or just seeking new information on podiatric medicine, or someone concerned with her foot health or the foot health of another woman, we’re sure you’ll find these articles to be informative and timely.

Read articles of interest from the American Association for Women Podiatrists. Our online articles provide foot health info for a woman and information on podiatric medicine for podiatric physicians. The AAWP is a related organization of the APMA; find a woman podiatrist near you. We offer women’s scholarships in podiatric medicine.

To learn more about membership in The American Association for Women Podiatrists, click here.
To find a podiatrist near you who is an AAWP member, click here.

If you are a podiatric medicine student seeking women’s scholarships, click here for scholarship information and an application.

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I was recently asked whether stiletto heels are good for you. My son, a fashion illiterate, summed it up after his semester in Italy. “Mom, girls who wear those pointy high heel shoes are total high maintenance.”

My son and I approach life in quite different ways. Currently he’s backpacking through Argentina and Chile sleeping outdoors in a tent, while I am quite content living with heat, air conditioning and indoor plumbing. My hairdresser is concerned about where he takes his showers, and I haven’t had the heart to tell her that showers are not one of his main concerns.

So although my son and I are coming from different perspectives, I must say that we do share the same conclusion when it comes to pointy high heel shoes.

I want to start off by saying that I think stilettos totally flatter the leg, and add a certain pizzazz to any outfit.

On occasion I have even been known to own a pair or two, but frankly, I’ve always been too uncomfortable to wear them.

Part of my reticence might be that adding an extra four inches to my 5’9” frame has me towering over most people in the room. Also in order to wear pointy shoes without totally squeezing my foot, the pointy part has to be way past the toes. Imagine how long my size 11 shoes have to be in order to fit comfortably. Rather than feeling feminine and dainty, I begin to feel like a giant elf.

My issues aside, there are some real concerns about wearing stilettos for activities that involve walking or standing for any length of time. According to the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, as the heel height increases, your body weight is pushed forward.

Think about your posture for a minute. If your weight is on the ball of your foot, you lean forward. In order to maintain balance, you often times have to thrust your bottom out. So there you are wearing shoes to enhance your legs, with your tush protruding quite prominently; i.e., appearing much bigger than you probably realize.

A two inch heel can cause knee strain. Once the heel reaches three inches or more, there is seven times more stress on the ball of the foot than when wearing a one inch heel. This unnatural foot position can also cause bunions, neuromas (nerve tumors), ankle sprain or fractures, along with corns, calluses and blisters.

In a 2003 study by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) it was noted that when shoes cause discomfort, women are likely to remove their shoes for a brief time (84%), walk barefoot (74%), put their feet up (64%), or massage their feet (52%). Fewer reported using insoles, cushions or other over-the-counter products (38%), or soaking their feet (26%).

Very few women with foot discomfort see a medical professional (15%). Indeed, 44% indicated that they do nothing and suffer with the problem, but foot pain is not natural. Shoes should not hurt when you wear them. High maintenance should not be a cause of foot pain.

Log on to the American Podiatric Medical Association website at www.apma.org for more about foot care.

Sheryl Strich, DPM

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