If your feet and ankles hurt you go to a specialist.....a podiatrist.
If your teeth hurt you go to a dentist.
Podiatrists have known that wearing high high heels can cause numerous problems other than than contractures and thickening of the achilles tendon. There is the the possibility of tearing of the achilles tendon, ankle sprains, etc.
You decide what specialist you go to, and who does it for a living.......who sees only feet and ankles...... I know who I would NOT go to.......not to a doctor who sees feet and ankles once in a while. I AM WORTH IT.....SO IS MY BODY TO SEE THE BEST.

Put Palin's name on it to get people to click....

I could never wear heels, not even as a teen or young adult. In the Navy we were required to wear pumps and that killed me. Try marching in a parade in full uniform for 4-5 miles with heels or pumps. I'd rather wear slippers or flats, sneakers or sandles. Every pair of heels, wedges, clogs, pumps I had I gave to my daughter when she was young to play in and the rest went to the Abused Womens Shelter, they got much better use from those ladies out there looking for jobs.
Keep you heels, pumps, If God wanted me to be taller I'd be taller and with out heels. Thank You.

Gawd are they trying to say they just found out about high heels & shortening of the tendon!!!!!
How backwards are these scientists as my late GP told me about this when I was in my 20's I am now 60.
Come on scientists spend research money on something that isn't yet known.

Duh.

Deni, I'm the same exact way you are! I had a very hard time wearing heels as a teen and/or young adult, although they always looked better with whatever I was wearing!! Sometimes I would force myself to wear them, and not only would my feet hurt after I took the shoes off, but my feet would hurt while I was wearing the heels, also! I like low heeled sandals and sneakers, a lot better, as well.. They're easier on my feet, ankles and calves... I don't get those women/girls who wear spikes with jeans! What's up with that????

Oh, happy day! It takes a group of scientists to make this determination? No one had to tell me that high heels shorten the achilles tendon and calf muscle. I learned this years ago, when changing shoes to flats equalled discomfort, it was not difficult to determine how to prevent the problem. High heels for business and evenings out, flats for at home and weekend use. Simple toe touching exercises also kept me from having any further difficulty. Toe touching for 20-30 seconds or more, rest and repeat several times morning and evening equals no more pain.

This is very old news. It has been known for decades that high heels cause shortening of the calf muscles/achilles tendon. Plus, what Pro. Marco Narici said is not correct. That exercise he described is just causing you to rise up on your toes, repeatedly, which actually strengthens the calf muscle, which does not help the pain or improve the shortening. You must stretch the muscle, not exercise it, to get it to lengthen. A physical therapist would be able to help you with the proper stretching techniques, and exercises to do, to stretch the calf muscle group. Going up on your toes repeatedly is NOT one of them. There are two different muscles to stretch, included in the calf muscles, and each one is stretched separately by changing whether the knee is extended or bent. Together they make up the achilles tendon, so they BOTH must be stretched.

And how much $$$ was spent figuring that out? Anyone who wears heels on a regular basis knows to stretch the ankles and strengthen the calves by doing heel raises from a raised surface. I tend to wear heels because walking in them reminds me to keep my core tight which eleviates back pain.

I'm a 40 year old man who has been wearing high heels with pantyhose, skirts and dresses regularly for more than 25 years. This may sound strange to some, but this is much more common among men than some people think or realize. Most men who crossdress are very descreet about it; I haven't been for about ten years now. Some people have a problem with this, but it's just clothes and not hurting anyone or anything. After all, women wear everything me wear, so why shouldn't we have that same right. I have 30 pairs of high heel shoes and boots all with heels between three and a half inches and five inches high. I often wear them out in public with slacks or skirts, sometimes fully disguised as a woman and other times openly as a man. The only heels I have that bother my feet at all are the ones with a five inch heel and that's only if I wear them for long periods of time. My other heels don't bother my feet at all, no matter how long I wear them.

What about ball of foot pain. And squashed toes. That is what hurt me my calf muscles were fine.

High heel pumps ALSO give you bunions, and crush your toes together disfiguring your feet if you wear them on a regular basis.......my calves are just fine.

That isn't the only thing high heels can do. There are nerves in the feet which run to or in between the bones of the feet. Wearing high heels can inflame one or more of these nerves causing what is called a 'Morton's Neuroma'.

The pain at beginning is like a 'stone bruise' and escalates from there. The one in my left foot caused me to limp. Fractures were ruled out and then nerve blocks were used.

When it was diagnosed, I was told no more heels, given inserts, and all kinds of other things to help. I had to change width of shoe and 1/2 size. Wore only good tennis / walking shoes, or flats.

Finally after eight months a Mortons neuroma was diagnosed. They suggested possible surgery, but I opted to give it time to heal and stay out of high heels (which I had to wear every day for work ...DRESS CODE).

The syndrome is more common in women than men, possibly because women wear confining shoes more often. High heels cause more weight to be transferred to the front of the foot and tight toe boxes create lateral compression. As a result, there is more force being applied in the area and the nerve compartment is squeezed on all sides. Under such conditions, even a minimal enlargement in the nerve can elicit pain.

I limped for the next 3 1/2 years before the horrible pain finally subsidedafter ceasing to wear high heels. That was my choice because they told me surgery may or may not help. SO, I decided to stay out of heels, take care of my feet, and give it time.

That was 16 years ago (1994). I had problems during the first six years with the change in shoe size causing me to turn or twist my ankle on three ocassions, I had to give up running and jogging. I curtailed walking for several years. Now, my foot feels much better. I only wear heels for special ocassions and not for more than a couple hours. I am once again able to hike and walk without pain. Every once in awhile, it may 'flare' up, but this is generally after I've worn a new pair of shoes.

So, calf muscles aren't the only things high heels can damage. If I had known the damage being done to my foot (and I was lucky it was only one foot), I would never have worn high heels every day regardless of 'dress code' because the pain was horrible and I have a high toleranace to pain.

Word of warning to women who may still wear heels all day long.....Not a good idea.

But they look good go for it girls a walker may be needed later in life but look good going in.

I think every woman should take a look at the post,although fashion and beauty is important,the health is also important.

all I can say is GOD please pray for Joe!

I think women wear too high heels, I don't think that's the right think to do & God bless those people who can wear them all day long.

Stretching Exercises