Wearing killer high heels could lead to osteoarthritis, study warns
“Killer heels could lead to osteoarthritis in knees,” The Daily Telegraph reports. An analysis of the walking patterns (gait) of 14 women found evidence that walking in high heels puts the knees under additional strain. Over time, this may potentially lead to osteoarthritis: so-called wear and tear arthritis, where damage to a joint causes stiffness and pain.
The main finding was that wearing high heels (3.8cm and 8.3cm were tested) changed the walking gait, especially around the knee joint area.
Hypothetically, the changes in knee dynamics seen in this study could potentially cause strain on the joint, damaging the cartilage inside the knee, thus increasing the possibility of knee osteoarthritis in later life.
However, the study did not keep in touch with participants to see if they went on to develop arthritis, so doesn’t prove any direct evidence that wearing high heels causes more knee osteoarthritis further down the line.
There are many factors linked to developing osteoarthritis in later life, most notably obesity, joint injuries and repetitive stress. Based on this study alone, it is not clear whether footwear is an important additional factor in the mix.
That said, we suspect that wearing high-heels all day, seven days a week, won’t do wonders for your feet.
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