(U-WIRE) LUBBOCK, Texas — In paying homage to the “No pain, no gain” slogan, women are flocking to the new fashion trend of pointed-toe shoes and experiencing firsthand that a fashion gain could be accompanied by a fashion pain.
Dr. Mimi Zumwalt, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and sports medicine at the Texas Tech Medical Center, said the problem with pointed-toe shoes is they don’t fit people’s rectangular feet.
“Trying to squish a rectangular shaped foot in a triangular shaped shoe just doesn’t work,” she said.
Zumwalt said the end result of wearing pointed-toe shoes is a big problem most women do not realize until later in life.
“Women as a whole pay a price for vanity. We suffer through the pain … The more educated we get, the more women will realize that these shoes could cause long-term problems,” she said.
According to www.consumer.org, the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society says pointed-toe shoes distribute body weight unevenly and place excess stress on the ball of the foot and the forefoot.
The society also says the shoes could lead to discomfort, hammertoes and other deformities.
Zumwalt said most of the patients she treats for wearing high heels or pointed-toed shoes have a variety of discomforts.
“One of the main things I see is when the big toes drift toward the other toes. This problem causes pain and difficulty walking,” she said.
Zumwalt said the problem can be fixed by putting spacers between the big toe and the second toe; if that doesn’t work, surgery is needed to straighten the toes.
Other problems Zumwalt has seen as a result of wearing high-heeled shoes or pointed-toe shoes include bunions, calluses, stretched ligaments, scar tissue and severe inflammation.
Wendy Solis, an assistant manager with Baker’s Footwear in the South Plains Mall in Lubbock, Texas, says she does not wear pointed-toe shoes to work.
“I like to wear them out at night, but they are way too hard on my feet to wear for an eight-hour work day,” she says.
Solis said women suffer through the pain of pointed-toe shoes because they are in style.
“Women are willing to take the pain because everyone is wearing them because they are the style now,” she said.
Brian Ward, a sophomore political-science major at Texas Tech University who is from Arlington, says he does not understand why women wear shoes that cause them pain.
“They look like witch shoes to me. I look at girls who wear them and feel sorry for them because you know their feet have got to hurt,” he said.
Zumwalt said women who start wearing heels and pointed-toed shoes frequently at a young age are setting themselves up for long-term problems.
“If women wear the shoes once a week for a few hours it shouldn’t cause them too many problems, but if they wear them every day to work, they are looking at long-term effects,” she said
Zumwalt said feet are not the only body part affected by pointed-toed shoes and high heels.
“While high heels accentuate the calves, they tighten the Achilles tendon and can cause tendonitis and brachiates,” she said.
Zumwalt said women who feel pain after wearing high heels or pointed-toe shoes can ease their troubles by massaging the area, using sports creams, or soaking their feet in bath water. If their feet are badly inflamed, using ice and over-the-counter painkillers can help.
“I recommend to my patients that they do regular stretching exercises for their feet, and after they wear the shoes, they can knead out their soreness by rolling a tennis ball around their arches and toes,” she said.
Tara King, a freshman public-relations major from San Antonio, Texas, said she did not think she would feel ill effects later in life from wearing pointed-toe shoes.
“I don’t wear them to class, just to go out. I think they add a sense of elegance to any outfit; sometimes your feet hurt, but you get used to it after a while,” she said.
