Tag - Heel Pain

High heels and your feet: Our top tips!

High heels are one of the most common types of footwear out there, but wearing high heels the wrong way can result in soreness, pain and even damage to your feet. If you want to make sure that your heels aren’t hurting your feet in the short or long term, make sure you consider these top tips that will help keep your heels from hurting you.

Tip #1: Don’t wear high heels too long

Whenever possible, make sure that you aren’t wearing high heels for more than 3 to 8 hours at a time, with 8 hours being the absolutely maximum consecutive period you should wear them. If you must wear them for longer–such as all day at work–then choose heels with a shorter heel and a wider style, as these will not be as harsh on your feet.

Tip #2: Make sure there is a half inch of space in the toe

Don’t wear high heels that pinch your toes! Your heels should have about half an inch of space in the toe, as this will give your feet enough room in the shoe to avoid unnecessary friction. This may be difficult with high heels that have a thin design, but try your best not to wear narrow high heels for too long.

Tip #3: Avoid heel heights over 5cm whenever possible 

The highest your heel should be is about 5 cm; any higher than this and you increase the chances of falling while wearing the shoe, while also increasing the amount of pressure the shoe has on your feet. Whenever possible, avoid wearing shoes with heels higher than 5 cm; or if you must wear them, keep them on for a limited time and exercise caution while walking.

Tip #4: Take shorter strides when wearing heels

Wearing heels increases your chance for tripping and stumbling, but you can reduce this risk by taking smaller, shorter strides when you walk. A shorter and smaller step will make it easier for you to control your steps and reduce the chances of getting the heel caught on the ground or otherwise causing the shoe to buckle.

Tip #5: Bring flats or slip shoes in case your feet hurt too much

If you plan on wearing new heels for the first time or you think the heels might get uncomfortable, make sure you bring along a pair of flats or slip shoes that you can change into when it gets to be too much. It’s better to deal with the brief awkwardness of stashing your heels in your work desk or tossing them into your backseat in the middle of an event than to have to manage the pain and frustrating that comes with wearing painful shoes for too long.

Remember, wearing high heels is perfectly fine, as long as you practice common sense tips to protect your feet from getting hurt while wearing them. 

Clinic locations:

Appointments are available at all clinical sites  *On-site diagnostic ultrasound is available at Earlsfield and Maidenhead clinical locations.

How to book:

Click the following link to schedule your consultation online 24/7:  BOOK ONLINE.  Alternatively, speak to our friendly booking team between 9am-5pm Monday-Saturday: 020 7164 6607

Insurance and Fee’s:

We accept most major private medical insurance companies including BUPA, Vitality, WPA, Cigna, AVIVA and Simply Health. A full list of our consultation fee’s including self-pay can be found here:  Insurance and Fee’s. Our Podiatry team are health care professional council registered, meaning they are required to maintain professional standards and continued professional development. As an organisation we have invested in the latest diagnostic technology in order to help our podiatry team, help you. We have onsite diagnostic ultrasound available at Maidenhead and Earlsfield clinics. Infra-red pressure analysis available at Maidenhead and Earlsfield clinics with treadmill examinations.

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How to diagnose and treat Plantar Fasciitis!

Plantar Fasciitis may not be something you have heard much of, yet it’s a very common condition that impacts around 1-2 people per 10. So around 10-20% of us !

This is a condition that causes the bottom of your heel to hurt, sometimes incredibly painfully. ​Today, we will be going over our methods on how to diagnose, treat, and understand the science behind this.

Fun fact! The name ‘Plantar Fasciitis’ is derived from the word ‘plantar fascia’, which is a broad ligament that basically supports your feet and helps you walk.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF PLANTAR FASCIITIS?

The most obvious symptom is pain at the bottom of the heel.

This pain can impact everyone in different ways, though it is common for the condition to get worse in the morning and incredibly painful after rest.

A very notable thing to emphasize is that people usually only feel the pain ​after ​exercise, and not during it; this is a rather difficult symptom to determine, and also makes it easier to ‘overwork or damage’ your feet unknowingly.

If you ever think you may be developing Plantar Fasciitis, don’t hesitate to see a Podiatrist for a physical check-up. Diagnostic ultrasound and MRI scans can be undertaken by a specialist Podiatrist.

WHAT CAN CAUSE THIS CONDITION TO OCCUR?

Heel pain is usually multifactoral and arguably the most common one is that you’ve constantly overused the plantar fascia, or torn, your ligament causing it to become irritated and damaged.

Additionally, obesity or overweight people are more likely to start developing this condition as the plantar fascia takes more load and stress.

Strangely enough, you can also start suffering from this when you are ​too ​active ‒ mainly if you’re a runner due to overuse.

HOW CAN YOU TREAT THIS?

We’d strongly advise going to see a qualified podiatrist. Early treatment is always important to resolve symptoms quickly.

One major tip would just be to take it easy; doing regular stretching exercises while avoiding putting too much strain on your feet can already help a ton. Additionally, it might be worthwhile to invest in some arch supports or casts. Here is a little more information about orthoses below:

Clinic locations:

Appointments are available at all clinical sites  *On-site diagnostic ultrasound is available at Earlsfield and Maidenhead clinical locations.

How to book:

Click the following link to schedule your consultation online 24/7:  BOOK ONLINE.  Alternatively, speak to our friendly booking team between 9am-5pm Monday-Saturday: 020 7164 6607

Insurance and Fee’s:

We accept most major private medical insurance companies including BUPA, Vitality, WPA, Cigna, AVIVA and Simply Health. A full list of our consultation fee’s including self-pay can be found here:  Insurance and Fee’s. Our Podiatry team are health care professional council registered, meaning they are required to maintain professional standards and continued professional development. As an organisation we have invested in the latest diagnostic technology in order to help our podiatry team, help you. We have onsite diagnostic ultrasound available at Maidenhead and Earlsfield clinics. Infra-red pressure analysis available at Maidenhead and Earlsfield clinics with treadmill examinations.

Read more...