Wearing Heels!

Contributed by: Marquette Physical Therapy

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April isIs May your busiest month of the year? Graduation, graduation parties, weddings, recitals, etc. Every weekend seems to be booked. And you know what that means: I’m wearing heels every weekend this month. Sorry not sorry. 

However, the Monday and Tuesday following will bring sore toes and arches and sometimes pain in the ball of foot and heel. I’m not going to sit here and tell you to not wear the high heels. We gotta stay cute, ladies! But how can we 1) prepare our feet for this type of shoe-wear and 2) recover after long days of wearing our favorite shoes?

Here are my top tips:

1) Get strong feet. 

You can do this by working on toe intrinsic strength like toe yoga. Also working on one-legged balance - 30 seconds is the goal! Combine these two exercises for the most bang for your buck. Also working general lower body strengthening like squats, step ups, and lunges will strengthen your feet. 

2) Spread the toes. 

We want to be able to do this passively and actively. Passively, meaning there is an external force spreading the toes, like your hands or toe spacers. Once you work this passively, and the available range is there, you use your own muscles to actively spread the toes.

3) Soft Tissue Mobilization. 

Use a lacrosse/golf ball on the bottom/arch of your foot. This will release restrictions and allow the muscles to function at full capacity, resulting in improved strength and stability. Don't forget to rub the top of your foot and side of your big toe. This is where your muscles get squished and pulled when wearing heels. Give them some relief too!