Health News / November 2006
Feet First Fashion
Tall boots, platform pumps, spiked heels–fall footwear is elegant, elongated-and often painful. Even women with the most severe authority issues, don’t seem to object when fashion decrees exquisitely agonizing styles are the rule. Women and their shoes are just one of those gloriously inexplicable phenomena, like why the swallows return to Capistrano, how lightening bugs light their bottoms, and before cosmologists solved the puzzle, the Aurora Borealis.
Doc Martens and Reeboks may feel better, but good glam requires fabulous shoes, and most of the entries in the ‘absolutely fabulous’ category have high, high heels, narrow, narrow pointed toes and virtually no support in between. Even the flat offerings, from the studded, golden gladiator sandals to ruby red ballet slippers have no support for their wearers downtrodden arches. Thin soles, open toes, strappy backs–all should come with “Buyer Beware” signs. Well loved wedges can seem almost practical, except that curve right at the ball of the foot puts a ton of pressure on all those tarsals and tendons that make feet flexible.
High heels, according to the experts, the doctors and mom, are the major cause of foot problems in women. They say women who insist on wearing high-heeled shoes should at least look for shoes with wide toe room, reinforced heels that are relatively wide, and cushioned insoles. They say women should also keep the amount of time they spend wearing high heels to a minimum. They say pressure on the toes from high heeled shoes can cause corns. They say narrow high-heeled shoes with pointed toes can put enormous pressure on the front of the foot and cause bunions.
They are right, of course, but shoes are shoes and women are women. Women are going to wear their Manolos and Jimmy Choos and Pradas, or the knockoffs, even if it cripples them.
Since ugly shoes are not an option, some women have turned to orthotics and Dr. Scholl’s inserts. But, with so many open bodied, open backed and open toed styles, such devices are not always applicable.
A new ‘designer’ shoe cushion came on the market in October from Dainty Footings. The lightweight, hypo-allergenic cushions are thin enough to slip into the most revealing footwear, but still offers maximum shock absorption and helps relieve pressure on joints by reducing foot slippage and distributing weight evenly.
There are Dainty Footings for the ball of the foot, the heel and the entire insole. They come in black and cream and have a slim, tapered design that fits easily inside shoes and is practically invisible
Women should wear low shoes with wide toe room, wide heels and cushioned insoles. But, if they don’t, Dainty Footings can make the decision less painful, prettily.
For more information, visit daintyfootings.com or call 520-529-1554.
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