Many women go through daily life wearing high heels. On a daily basis, many women spend a lot of time in an altered posture that leaves them with knee pain, wobbly ankles, back pain and even a weakened core that contributes to shallow breathing. All of these issues are caused by wearing high heels. Since high heels are now considered as fashion staples, there are ways to prevent high heel pain from ruining your day.
Momentarily relief from high heel pain or discomfort is achieved by simply taking them off, but there are essential measures that can help counter the ill effects of wearing high heels. By enrolling in a course on first aid, you can learn pain management measures to manage the discomfort.
Correction of an over-extended spine
Using high heels on a daily basis can weaken the core, thus contributing to an overly-extended spine. If there is shallow breathing from the top of the chest, it is best to perform breathing exercises that activate the obliques and diaphragm to stimulate the muscles surrounding the core.
Alternate extension of the arms and legs in the supine and quadruped position will strengthen the mid-section. Even lying hip bridges can fortify the glutes to help maintain a stabilized pelvic position.
Perform regular self-massage
Items such as a golf ball, foam roller and a lacrosse ball can be used to rejuvenate tired muscles. By performing self-massage techniques on the feet, quadriceps and calves, it will work wonders in helping tight muscles to relax.
When standing, use the golf ball or lacrosse ball to massage the base of the feet with generous amount of pressure. The foam roller can be used to massage the quadriceps, calves and the highest point in front of the hips.
Shifting the center of gravity
Since wearing high heels forces the heels to lift up, it can cause a shift in the center of mass forward, thus adding stress on the knees and a generalized forward lean. You have to instruct the body to shift its weight backwards, away from the toes. It is also recommended to perform box squats in the gym which is a movement that is similar to sitting back onto a chair to increase the strength of the glutes, hips and hamstrings.
Restoring toe and ankle mobility
The toes and ankles are severely affected by wearing high heels and makes normal gait almost impossible while running or walking. Performing towel crunches and toe pulls can help restore proper toe function.
Before working out or at the end of a long day, mobility exercises that improve general ankle strength and dorsiflexion can prevent injury as well as improve almost every aspect of the lower body. Even walking barefoot in sand can also help in conditioning the feet.
Try to kick up the feet
Lastly, if you want relief from high heel pain, simply take off the high heels if possible. With a golf ball, use it to release tension in the feet as well as stretching out the calves at 10 minutes in a day.