(PatriotWise.com) — In the film “Barbie,” actress Margo Robbie mimics the iconic doll’s permanent arched feet, and according to the UK Daily Mail, women probably won’t want to try that in real life.
One study cited by the Daily Mail shows that wearing high heels day after day causes calf muscle strains and could, over time, shorten the calf muscles by 13 percent, increasing the risk of injuries like a calf spring or tendonitis in the Achilles tendon.
Additionally, wearing high heels is responsible for nearly 3 million injuries a year.
Around 20 percent of women end up with a twisted ankle or torn tendons from falling in high heels, while about 30 percent end up with broken wrists or damaged teeth.
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that between 2002 and 2012, emergency rooms treated 123,355 injuries related to wearing high heels.
According to the Mail, it is estimated that millions of women endure pain in the balls of their feet and their toes from the pressure of having their feet elevated in heels.
One survey found that nearly 75 percent of women either wear heels occasionally or every day. Of those, 59 percent experience pain in their toes while 54 percent experience pain in the balls of their feet.
High heels force the foot, especially the toes, into a downward position which makes the muscles in the arch tighten, causing inflammation leading to plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes sharp, shooting pain in the heel.
According to a 2013 report in Foot & Ankle International, women who wear high heels have decreased dorsiflexion compared to women who wear flats.
Dorsiflexion is the bending and contracting of the foot toward the leg. For women who routinely wear heels, dorsiflexion is reduced by 17 percent, which could lead to problems when trying to move the body forward by walking or running.
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