The effect of a shoe's heel height on comfort and long-term effects?

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post #1 of 6

1/13/13 at 7:15am

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hugopoon

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I regularly wear 2 pairs of shoes without any heels: Mocs and boat shoes.

Then I have 2 pairs with some sort of heel: Chelsea boots and Dr Martens 1460.

I do notice a difference in the feel, but I'm undecided on which is more comfortable. I can only say that the sharper the angle of the heel, the harder/faster I tend to slap my foot down — I'm gentlest on my mocs.

Any thoughts on comfort and (potential) long-term effects of heel-less vs heels? Do you choose shoes for the occasion with heel/no-heel in mind? Does anyone care?

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post #2 of 6

1/13/13 at 2:50pm

Reggs

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With women, consistent high heel use results in the tendon that runs from their calf to the bottom of their foot shortening, which causes them to have sore feet and legs. With men's shoes, this is probably negligible.

I wear engineer boots with heels, maybe 1.5 or 1.75 inches and I don't notice a difference if I do a lot of walking in them.

post #3 of 6

1/13/13 at 4:48pm

jsqfunk

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Check this out

http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2009/11/shoes-sitting-and-lower-body-dysfunctions/

I read this for the first time two summers ago when I was recovering from a tore Achilles tendon so perhaps I was too easily won over by the argument (heels = bad), I still wear dress shoes with heels - but I also do 5 -10 minutes of lower body mobility work a day to compensate.

post #4 of 6

1/13/13 at 6:10pm

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hugopoon

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So it seems that a very slight heel is okay but high heels are bad, and shoes that best imitate the shape of the foot with the least padding are best.

post #5 of 6

1/13/13 at 6:30pm

huntmol

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I'm a big believer in as little heel as possible, at least for running, walking long distances, or exercising. A few years ago I switched over to minimalist footwear and the shin splints and knee pain I battled for years just went away over the course of a few months. I'll never go back.

post #6 of 6

1/16/13 at 10:09pm

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