Lifestyle
Getting comfortable in high heels
When walking with high heels, one should know how to protect her feet, Chan said. Those who wear high heels have to avoid walking up too many stairs or slopes to lower the possibility of hurting the knees. It is not suitable for people to run or carry heavy things in high heels because that may increase the weight exerted on the feet, leading to discomfort and pain.
To help relax one・s feet, one can soak the feet in warm water to help expand the blood vessels and increase blood circulation, relaxing the tiredness in muscles, the foot care expert said.
Another way is to massage the feet and do stretching exercises to relax the foot muscles. ：Doing more exercises can strengthen the muscles so that the possibility of suffering from the side effects of wearing high heels can be lowered,； Chan said.
Wearing a pair of unsuitable high heels can hurt the feet.
When Karen Lai Sin-hung started working as a hotel receptionist, she had to stand for eight or nine hours a day in a pair of high heels, and that caused great pain in her toes. ：My toes were seriously swollen and blisters were formed,； the 19-year-old Lai said.
She said her high heels might be too small for her. Even though she had tried on bigger sizes, the shoes were only longer in length but still not wide enough to fit her feet.
Lai had to massage her feet every night for nearly a month until her feet felt better.
Blisters and calluses are only minor problems of wearing high heels.
The spine, which controls the body movement, can be affected if one frequently wears unsuitable high heels. As high heels put people・s centre of gravity on the balls of their feet, that will force them to bend their bodies a little forward when they walk. In order to walk normally, they have to deliberately straighten their backs. After some time, that may cause pain to the lower back, Chan said.
What is more is that the heels are often made of hard materials like wood, which are poor shock-absorbing substances. When a person walk in high heels, her movement・s vibration and pressure will be passed on to the knees, and that will make the knees feel tired and the joints ache, Chan said.
