--- title: Are High Heels Bad for Feet description: Yep. And the damage doesn’t end at your toes. canonical: https://time.com/3847330/you-asked-do-high-heels-actually-damage-my-feet/ author: Markham Heid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-06T09:00:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:44:06.315Z article:section: Health og:title: You Asked: Are High Heels Harming My Feet? og:description: Yep. And the damage doesn’t end at your toes. og:url: https://time.com/3847330/you-asked-do-high-heels-actually-damage-my-feet/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff91088348adbda0/6987ee87f887dcb538e8e553/you-asked-wearing-heels-bad-for-me.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: You Asked: Do High Heels Actually Damage My Feet? og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: You Asked: Are High Heels Harming My Feet? twitter:description: Yep. And the damage doesn’t end at your toes. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff91088348adbda0/6987ee87f887dcb538e8e553/you-asked-wearing-heels-bad-for-me.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # You Asked: Do High Heels Actually Damage My Feet? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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May 6, 2015 9:00 AM UTC High heels hurt. If you’ve worn them (I have not) then you probably know this already. But are high heels also bad for you? [A 2014 survey](http://www.apma.org/Media/PRdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=13076) from the American Podiatric Medical Association—composed of the nation’s top foot and lower-leg docs—found heels were far and away the most common cause of foot pain among women. Unsurprisingly, much of that pain comes from contorting your foot into a steep “plantarflexed” position, concludes [a study](http://jap.physiology.org/content/112/6/1054) from the _Journal of Applied Physiology_. Like standing on your tiptoes for hours, that high-heeled posture may lead to painful muscle fatigue and strain injuries, the authors of that study say. Calluses, blisters, bunions, and ingrown nails are all common among high heel wearers, adds Dr. Rodney Stuck, division director of podiatry at Loyola University Chicago. The higher the heel, the more trouble you’re likely to run (or walk) into, Stuck says. But the most significant risks of your high-heel habit may begin higher up your leg. According [to research](http://jeb.biologists.org/content/213/15/2582.long) from the U.K. and Austria, lots of time spent walking in heels actually changes the structure of the muscles and tendons in your calves—and not for the better. ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. 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Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What Is My Poo Telling Me? If you listen hard enough, you'll hear all kinds of health stories from #2. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME High heels lead to shorter muscle fibers and a toughening of the Achilles tendon, says Dr. Marco Narici, a professor of clinical physiology at the University of Nottingham (and coauthor of that study). Narici says these muscle changes reduce your ankle’s range of motion, and contribute to your risk for strains and sprains. Stuck says these sorts of muscle adaptations may also up your risk for other lower-body injuries. A sore ankle or leg you blamed on running may actually have more to do with your high heels, he says. [More research](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jor.22775/full) shows walking in heels puts a great deal of force on your kneecaps. This force can lead to the early onset of osteoarthritis, says Dr. Constance Chu, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Stanford. Chu says this risk increases among heavier women. “Combining walking in very high heels for long periods of time every day with obesity and aging would be a perfect storm for knee osteoarthritis, as well as foot, back, and other joint problems,” she says. Of course, tossing your stilettos is the one surefire way to dodge all these potential health hazards. But if you’re not willing to part with your pumps, Chu says lower heels lowers your risk. For formal or work events when you feel heels are a must, she recommends wearing flats beforehand and changing into your heels only when you’ve arrived at your destination. “Taking time to sit and move the knees through a full range of motion may also be helpful,” she says. Loyola University’s Stuck also suggests standing against a wall or with one foot on a step and stretching your feet for a few minutes every day. But don’t swap your heels for flip-flops. An Auburn University study found the way those loose summer sandals shorten your gait and force you to grip with your toes may lead to all sorts of heel, ankle, and sole problems. Feet sure don’t have it easy. _Read next:_ [_These High-Tech High Heels Change Color With the Click of an App_](http://time.com/3768122/high-tech-high-heels/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3847330/you-asked-do-high-heels-actually-damage-my-feet/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3847330/you-asked-do-high-heels-actually-damage-my-feet/"},"headline":"You Asked: Do High Heels Actually Damage My Feet?","datePublished":"2015-05-06T09:00:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:44:06.315Z","description":"Yep. 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