My pal Fab has been seriously weighing the pros and cons of shoes replacing handbags as the ultimate fashion accessory. Makes sense to me because so many of the heels out this season are intricate and high. I mean really high.
High heels can create the illusion of longer legs, but they can also create all kinds of pains in lower legs. But it seems they have negative health consequences from the tip of the toe to the top of the head, or rather that neck. It works like this:
The spine is balanced at either end by the pelvis and the skull. If one end is out of alignment, the other will compensate (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction – sorry to get so Newtonian when talking about stilettos, I just couldn't resist). To see the chain of events, just read more.
It works like this:
- High heels put the pelvis in a tipped forward position.
- The head position compensates for this misalignment, most often by moving to a forward head position with the chin jutting forward.
- Forward head put a lot of strain on the muscles that both support the vertebrae in the neck and connect the spine to the skull.
- When these muscles are chronically tight they can cause serious neck pain, as well as headaches.
If you love your heels, but have some unexplained neck pain I wholeheartedly suggest switching up your heel height. Alternate high heels with flats and even some more supportive shoes. Hopefully, this can help ease your fashionable pain in the neck.
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So true! I don't normally have neck pain from high heels, but I do have low back pain from my pelvis being forced out of alignment. My hamstrings and low back are always super tight after a night of wearing them. It makes sense the effect would trickle up to the neck. I try to wear cute flats the majority of the time and save heels for special occasions.