If you are experiencing persistent backache, it may be due to the shoes you are wearing. Walking around for hours in the wrong pair of shoes isn’t just uncomfortable for your feet but may also alter your posture and balance, leading to back pain. Here are 5 daily footwears that cause trouble for your body and should be avoided.
Flip flops
Though flip flops are convenient and comfortable, they are harmful to your body and should only be worn for short periods. They do not support your toes, the arch of your feet, or your ankles, thus causing the muscles and joints in the legs and lower back to become excessively strained.
Moreover, you would typically have to curl your toes to keep the flip flops from slipping off. This action causes the ends of your toes to hit the ground with greater pressure and forces you to take shorter and shuffling steps that alter your posture and cause straining, thus leading to knee, hip and back pain.
Ballet flats
Ballet flats provide zero support for the arch of your feet. The absence of support means that your plantar fascia, a band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes, cannot properly distribute your weight and absorb the impact of movement. Prolonged use of ballet flats may thus cause plantar fasciitis, which means that the plantar fascia is inflamed. If left untreated, plantar fasciitis may lead to lower back pain.
Slip ons
Like flip flops, slip ons force you to curl your toes tightly to prevent the shoes from falling off. This affects your gait, straining your feet and lower legs. It may also cause the development of hammertoe, where one or both joints in a toe bend upward in the shape of a claw. The resulting distribution of body weight becomes uneven, thus adding stress on other body parts like the knees, ankles, or back.
High heel
When you wear high heels, your foot is put in a downward extended position, meaning that the forefoot bears more weight than usual, and your body experiences a shift in balance. Your lower body moves forward while the upper body leans back, unnaturally changing your posture. This imposes pressure on your spine and lower back. Furthermore, as you cannot push off the ground with your heel, the muscles in your hip, knee and back must work harder to propel the body forward.
A higher heel leads to greater pressure being put on the forefeet and, thus, worse back pain.
Platform heels and wedges
Platform heels and wedges are not ideal for the long term because they are, by nature, heavier and thus place more stress on your feet and lower back muscles. Moreover, these shoes are rigid, preventing the feet from bending naturally when you walk. This affects your posture and gait, creating back problems.
Conclusion
There are various possible reasons behind your back pain, and wearing the wrong footwear may be one of them. Though you don’t have to throw these shoes out of your wardrobe entirely, you should limit the amount of time spent walking in them. Nevertheless, we are also proud to announce that we are partnering with Sunnystep, the ideal brand for comfortable walking shoes. More details including other partnerships can be found at https://healinghands.com.sg/memberbenefits/.
If you have been wearing these footwears for long periods and are experiencing back pain, you should take note of some warning signs indicating that it might be a serious concern. For knee pain and lower back pain treatment in Singapore, head to Healing Hands to book an appointment with a chiropractor. Healing Hands also conducts corporate wellbeing programs with 99% patient satisfaction. Contact us at https://healinghands.com.sg/ to learn more about our services today.
