To think your body can adapt to heels?

[FairTurtle]

I wore some heels for the first time after ages yesterday. They were these: https://www.reiss.com/style/SU416555/AA4571?utm_content=search&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAoae5BhCNARIsADVLzZckMVGe6XrGvCeqMN4WHe8aS9mYOcfJcBNWe3AbZ0jmHIA8XZ3eyOQaAncOEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#AA4571

About 7 inches. Today my lower back is killing me. So are my calves, hips and hamstrings. They weren't even that high, plus I was sitting down most of the evening as it was a dinner. Only walked for a total of 30 mins?!

Does anyone have any advice? I really wanted to buy some nice Esska heels, which I'm told are comfortable and high quality, but if they also result in more than a day of back pain, its not worth it!

How old are you?

It may be the lack of support underfoot, something with a slight platform would be. Better

They are nowhere near 7 inches! I wouldn’t break a sweat in those. Are you very out of practice wearing heels? Lovely shoes btw.

I was ready to sympathise as I used to wear stilettos every day for work and no way could I do that now but those don’t look daunting at all. Is that the right pair you’ve linked?

I do have Esskas and they’re very easy to wear and comfy.

7 inches isn't even that high? That's gigantic to me. Not surprised you're in agony. It never seemed worth that pain to get used to them to me but I'm sure like anything you can get used to it if you really want to.

Sorry, 7cm!!!! Not inches! I'm 32

It can get easier with practice, for sure.
But it's still not healthy as it requires your body to move in a particular way instead of freely and with full support of both feet and toes.

Human feet and body are not designed to wear heels. The body is able to bear more when young.
I guess if you work on your overall fitness, core and body posture, it will help the heels to be less of an agony.

I recall Billy Connelly once cracking the joke that men invented high heels to prove that women couldn't do something as simple as walking.

If women were supposed to have heels, we'd have evolved with them already in place.

If you mean will your feet and ankles deform to allow you to wear them, then yes, they will. You will pay the price later down the line though.

I have very weirdly high arched feet which makes heels more comfortable than flat shoes, totally flat shoes give me foot pain. If heels hurt you you can train yourself to wear them by wearing them while you do household chores etc but I mean…I’d just find a nice pair of flats

When I was at school we were shown a short film about the effects that wearing high heels had on the body: the damage to the back and the legs and the feet and your posture etc.
That was many years ago.
But I must admit it had a lasting effect on me. I've never worn heels more than 2 inches high.
When I see women in high heels I always think why do that to yourself? And generally the way people walk in heels is so ungainly I don't see the point.

As with everything - do it a little bit each day and it gets easier. Strong ankles and calf muscles help.

Once you're out of the habit of heels it does feel weird to wear them again.

When i was late teens early 20s i would go to work in 6'' heels like these:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1473000466/stiletto-pumps-681012cm-high-heel-court?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=5+inch+stilettos&ref=sr_gallery-1-32&frs=1&local_signal_search=1&content_source=61d0ec954bf544f90aa6b1967286f92941b340b7%253A1473000466&search_preloaded_img=1&organic_search_click=1

be on my feet all day and run up and down stairs to the stock room in them, and run for the bus to get home!

Is your weight different from when you last wore them comfortably. I wore heels when young fine. Then chucked on about 8st and couldn't manage it. I then dropped the 8st and managed fine again. I'm now up again perhaps about 6st and was crippled the last time I wore them.

(the massive weight fluctuation is due to awful pregnancy gain both times with a delightful period of disordered eating in the middle, not healthy I know!)

Esska shoes are shit quality- the soles peel after one wear just FYI.

I agree about the weight issue.

I was 10 stone nothing when i was comfy in mine. I stopped wearing them as much once pregnant with eldest DC.

Still wear them for car to bar sort of outings. NO running up or down stairs or for buses in them anymore for sure 😂

No health or foot problems here by the way 25 years on.

100%

Heels are the work of the devil. No woman on earth would choose to wear them without societal conditioning.

Why? Just why do that to yourself?
Why damage your body for a fashion fad?
The long term serious effects of wearing high heels are so well documented.
To me it's akin to seeing people smoking.

As a short arse, I was still wearing 3 inch heels every day until I took early retirement at 59 five years ago. The last 10 years or so, it was block heeled ankle boots in winter and cork platform wedges in summer.
I now wear only Skechers or flat boots. I did try some of the wedges on recently when having a clear out and felt very wobbly and unsafe. I can still probably wear the boots as the ankles feel supported but wouldn't like to think how much pain they would cause the next day.

I have numerous pairs of Esska heels and yes, they're super comfy! They're come up a bit wider and they have grippy bottoms and chunky heels. I love all of mine and wear them all the time! Try the Charlie style as they're not high at all!

Don’t do it OP!

I wore heels a lot when I was younger and I developed a Morton’s neuroma (inflamed nerve between the toe tendons) that needed an operation. Haven’t worn them since. I miss the glamour a little bit but it’s just not worth the pain and deformity. I’m a runner too and my ability to have healthy feet to run on is the most important thing.

I think I got away with it while I was younger but post meno - no way.

At 32 yes you probably can but you’ll suffer.

Yes. Women are not naturally designed to walk on their tip toes with all the weight on the balls of their feet, but with enough practice we adapt. Calf muscles shorten, pelvis tilts, back curves and we're off. Running for the bus like we were born to them. I think the training probably works better when you're young. I started wearing them at 14 and was a pro until covid made me lose my skills. Last time I tried I felt like you. Couldn't be bothered to retrain though.

I'm comfortable in heels. I salsa dance in them, often for hours, and also wear them for work etc. I treated myself to some Esska heels and sent them straight back - so uncomfortable.

@Rollonsummerplease because i was young, they looked good and were perfectly comfy.

I did ballet for years, into my early 20s, and when you can walk around and dance easily on your actual toes, high heels felt no different to slippers.

I get they cause damage though. I was lucky. I can't wear them like that now. (but can still stand in my old pointe shoes 😄)

I'm also a life long high heel wearer ( I have slight cerebral palsy so am a toe walker and way and walk on my toes in flats and break the soles in half) but like @MotherOfCatBoy I have mortons neuroma in both feet now (got MRI results last week) and will now need surgery on both feet at age 34.