High Heel Shoes - Foot pain that won't go away

Gary
A week ago my partner was at work wearing high heels and she felt a twinge of pain in her foot, but just assumed that it was minor and that it would be right once she got off her feet. That night she took her shoe off and couldnt place any pressure on her foot at all, and the joint area under the big toe was badly swolen.

She has seen a doctor since (the next day) and was advised to and bandage it and elevate it. She was also advised to go back in a week if it hadnt shown signs of improving.

It is now a week later and it hasnt really improved. Is this time line accurate (as some online accounts show if mistreated then the long term effects are more severe). Should she be seeing a specialist, and is it likely that continued elevation/compression etc is enough.
Dan
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Gary responds:
Dan,
Icing and resting an injury for more than about two days is usually long enough (I personally think that ice is mostly an overhyped therapy btw). If there has not been substantial progress by a week, one must suspect there is something more amiss than a simple sprain.

The next step is to get a few xrays of the foot. There is a possibility that she has done damage to the small sesamoid bones at the base of the big toe region of the foot. She may have even pinged the tendon of the big toe. Most of these injuries can be figured out without the need for expensive imaging, if only the examiner would take their time, first in obtaining an accurate history, understanding the intricacies of foot mechanics and then palpating the foot effectively to locate the exact source of the pain.

So, please go back to the doctor and see about getting a foot xray. Be guided, first and foremost, by what the doctor recommends because, he/she is there on the spot and I am not. Please send me the results of any further examinations and I may have some specific advice.

With regards to shoes: High heels are ridiculous items of fashion really! I personally much prefer the look of a woman in a tasteful pair of flats. Men look better in high heels. High heel shoes do all kinds of lasting damage to not just the feet but to the ankles, knees and even the low back.

If your partner insists of wearing such items of fashion in the future, she should have a pair of flat shoes that she wears to and from work. While at work, there is no reason why she can not slip the high heels off when at her desk and around the "back of the office", reserving her high heels for those special moments in her day. Incidentally, I put high heels and bras in the same category - damaging to women's health (Bras cut off the lymphatic flow for the breast).

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At last! - A bra that really does give support without slowly strangulating the owner.

This came in an email:

"Hi Gary,
I received a Walking New Zealand magazine and read with interest your article "Is your bra killing you". What excellent insight you have on such matters..(especially for a bloke!!), and I just had to introduce myself and my business to you. I am of the "well-endowered" variety , and after deciding to get fit about 3 years ago I went shopping for a bra to help me on my pursuit. Alas, the lingere manufacturers seem to think that once you reach a certain cup size you are either unable or uninterested in exercising. Very frustrating!

After producing our two beautiful daughters, I could put it off no longer, I decided to get fit! I needed to get out and smell the air so to speak. I entered a triathlon, nothing strenuous, but a goal nonetheless. Being of the ‘well-endowed’ variety I went shopping for a good sport bra to help me in my pursuit. Not only could I not find a decent supportive bra, they didn’t even make them in my size!
Frustrated but still determined I happened to read Oprah Winfrey’s ‘O’ magazine, her list of ‘a few things I think are just great’, and her love of the Enell bra. I ordered, received and tried out this wondrous vest, and have never looked back (I own one of each colour!). They allow me the freedom and ability to run, treadmill, do step classes, really anything I like, without being embarrassed or concerned about how my chest may be performing! I decided there must be other New Zealand women out there in the same bra boat as me – so I have begun Sportsupport in the hope that you will rejoice in the same freedom and dignity that Enell has brought to me. Enjoy and compete with confidence!

Lisa Harris
Founder - Sportsupport - A serious sportbra - for the larger busted women "

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Gary Moller comments:

I am hoping to publish an independent product review of this bra soon, so keep an eye out for it. Even an apparently well designed bra can cause a surprising amount of discomfort and damage.

As an aside, I am surprised that the mainstream media has not picked up on this story - yet.

Please go here to read the original article

Do you have a question?
Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.

Is your Bra killing you?

One of the more common statements by women who seek my advice is along the lines of: “My back and shoulders are killing me!”

While there are usually several things going on that are contributing to this discomfort, the bra is often one of the main culprits. Usually that culprit bra is good “Old Faithful” – that dearly beloved frilly bra that has served her owner so faithfully for 20 years. Her owner has put on some girth and Old Faithful is now a faded and ragged remnant - and the under-wire is hanging out.

Why change? There is a kind of emotional attachment, like a well worn security blanket. A comfortable sense of security that is less than perfect; but acceptable. A bit like a reliable husband who has long lost interest in her undergarments – not perfect, a bit worn – but reliable.

Some bras I encounter are so tight I marvel at the engineering that must have gone into designing those tiny clips that prevent the device’s pressurised contents from bursting forth! The owner was obviously several dress sizes less at the time of its first fitting. Another problem is the chest and shoulder straps may be too narrow, garrotting the trunk and even the tops of the shoulders. With the underwire, one could imagine it being the perfect tool for an underworld assassin!

Take a look at these photographs: They show some of the damage being caused to three women by bras. What you can see is the subtle indentation of the bra where it acts as a kind of tourniquet about the thorax (I prefer to describe it as a kind of leaky “beaver dam” that interrupts the normal flow of a pristine mountain stream). Because the blood and lymph flow goes upwards in that region of the body, the flesh above the bra line, as far up as the neck and shoulders, may show signs of a chronic lack of oxygen and nutrients and the build up of metabolic toxins. The body’s response to these metabolic poisons is to dilute the area with water, causing a podgy appearance and even a thickened hump at the base of the neck (Sometimes called a “Dowager’s Hump”). The area under the breast, where the underwire bites into the flesh may be thickened and painful. This is unhealthy. Of course, there are varying degrees of pain and fatigue affecting the back neck, shoulders and even the arms. While it takes very little tightness of a bra to affect blood and lymph flow, it has surprised me at times just how tight a bra can be. How on Earth can a person breathe properly with such a restrictive band about the chest?

Feel great – burn your bra!

While I am not an expert on such matters, the solution is hardly rocket science: Get rid of that old bra and replace it with one that fits properly. I advise women to go to a specialist store that has a “bra expert” and get a proper fitting (I assume there are such places and people). I think the best design to investigate is the sports bra which has broad straps that support the breasts without biting into the flesh and an elastic chest strap which allows unrestricted inflation of the lungs.

Yes, there are specialists in bras with Wellington even having its very own official “Bra Lady”, Luella Plimmer, who can be contacted via here.

A broad strap sports bra may be much better when hiking with a back pack. Other than the better support it gives during exercise, the broader, flatter shoulder straps are less likely to bite painfully into the shoulder muscles when the weight of the backpack is on the shoulders. If there is biting, then even a light weight will cause neck and shoulder pain and poor circulation to the arms and hands.

If a woman is losing or gaining weight, the bra sizing should be progressively adjusted accordingly just as one does with tight jeans.

Take the bra off when relaxing about the house, even if it is entirely comfortable, because it takes only a little pressure on the body to interfere with the blood and lymph flow.

If you have been wearing a restrictive bra and have pain in your upper body and shoulders with a build-up of fluid under the skin, then several once a week massages by a trained masseur will help ease the muscle tension, shift the stagnant fluid and get normal flows going again.

For the latest article on this topic, go here

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