Heels hurt your knees primarily due to the unnatural shift in weight distribution and increased pressure they place on the knee joint.
Here's a breakdown of the reasons why high heels can cause knee pain:
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Altered Biomechanics: High heels force you to walk on the balls of your feet, changing your natural gait. This leads to:
- Increased Knee Extension: Heels cause your knees to straighten (extend) more than they naturally would when walking. This excessive extension puts a strain on the knee joint.
- Increased Knee Joint Compression: The altered angle concentrates weight onto a smaller area of the knee joint, increasing compression and stress.
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Muscle Imbalance: Walking in heels requires different muscles to work harder to maintain balance and stability, leading to muscle imbalances.
- Quadriceps Overwork: Your quadriceps muscles (the muscles at the front of your thigh) have to work harder to prevent your knees from buckling. This can lead to fatigue and pain.
- Hamstring Strain: Your hamstring muscles (at the back of your thigh) may be strained as they attempt to stabilize your leg.
- Calf Muscle Tightness: Heels shorten the calf muscles, which can also contribute to knee pain by altering leg biomechanics.
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Postural Changes: To compensate for the forward shift in weight caused by heels, you may arch your back. This altered posture can contribute to overall body misalignment and exacerbate knee pain.
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Increased Risk of Osteoarthritis: Over time, the increased stress and altered biomechanics caused by wearing heels can contribute to the development or worsening of osteoarthritis in the knees.
In summary, the combination of unnatural weight distribution, muscle imbalances, and postural changes brought about by wearing high heels directly contributes to increased stress and pressure on the knee joint, leading to pain.
