Getting Started

[hoborob]

I have over the years worn various heights of heels and have really enjoyed them. I can walk in 4" heels with no issues and have had no stability issues. The question I have is that for a while I was not wearing heels of any kind and then I started up again and I have an issue with my big toes starting to hurt after a couple of hours with the heels on. Is there a good method of easing back into the wearing of heels such as starting at one height and working your way up or does it just simply get harder with age to get to the higher heels again?

[FastFreddy2]

10 hours ago, hoborob said:

does it just simply get harder with age to get to the higher heels again?

How old are you?

I will confirm, I don't find it as easy to walk in 5½ inch heels the way I used to 30 years ago. I too had a hiatus from heeling, but am doing all I can to 'cover lost time'. I think it's no coincidence, that it's younger people (girls) who wear higher heels, generally. As people get older, they tend to put on weight, and joints wear out. Older people are less tolerant to pain too. (Less tolerant to any irritation it seems.)

I've a "walking friend" I've known for at least 26 years. She always wore a heel of some sort, even to work. Very 'girlie girlie' with long nails and into dressing well. Would seldom move from a tall size 10, and had a figure most men would be very happy to see (and women to have). Fast forward 26/27 years. She's a heavy size 12 at 5'7" or there abouts. Has already had one hip replaced, and recently found she needs the other replaced too. I've no doubt her weight (and height) haven't helped over her recent lifetime. 

Worse, and this is the pertinent bit ... Her feet are a mess. She has what I think the medical profession would call 'hereditary' bunions exacerbated by years of heel wearing. She has had several operations on her feet (one of two life-long high heel wearers I know with this history), and only one of the two bunion operations has been successful. When she was told about the hip needing replacement, she was also told her big toe joint with the bunion was now beyond recovery, and that too needs replacing. The consultant has put a request forward for her to have a hip and big toe joint replaced at the same time.   

While it's only one case, it would seem weight and heels fast-track joint wear. The 'other' girl I know who has wrecked feet through years of heel wearing, has stayed slim (currently a size 10 or less) and barely makes 5'3" in height, and no declared hip problems I'm aware of. I will ask next time I have some contact with her.

 

Of course your joint problem could be gout?  Might need to see the Doc if the other symptoms in the link fit. 

[hoborob]

I am 56 Freddy. As far as I know I do not have and never have had gout. My doctors are telling me that I have developed a benign form of arthritis in some of my joints which does make it somewhat difficult to do a lot of things without being in pain after a short while. They are having me go through physical therapy to see if that helps and alleviates some of the discomfort I have moving around a lot. Time will tell if it is really effective or not I suppose.

[Puffer]

Can you be more specific about the pain in your big toes, hoborob?   Is it caused by ill-fitting shoes or simply because your feet are sliding downhill into the toebox and being compressed?   Or, as the pain apparently kicks in after a couple of hours, perhaps it is indeed some joint rebelling at being bent in what has become an unnatural position for a fair time, as your doctor implies.   If the latter, I guess you will need to address the cause (with exercise or whatever) and I can't see that wearing lower heels and then moving up will necessarily help, as distinct from being less uncomfortable.   But good luck anyway.

[hoborob]

The pain that I am dealing with is more because the joint is being forced into a position that is not normal. I should also point out that I managed to severely jam all the toes on that foot several years ago. It is also possible that the scar tissue from the healing process may be what is causing the difficulty as I have worn a pair of knee high boots that have a 2" heel very comfortably all day previous to that event but today after about 6 hours it causes me difficulty. When I get to 4" or higher the pain starts at about the 2 hour mark. Then it take 25 minutes to an hour before the pain drops to a level that I no longer feel it.

[FastFreddy2]

35 minutes ago, hoborob said:

 but today after about 6 hours it causes me difficulty. When I get to 4" or higher the pain starts at about the 2 hour mark. Then it take 25 minutes to an hour before the pain drops to a level that I no longer feel it.

Not sure what "jam all the toes on that foot" means, as it isn't a UK phrase? But your joint sounds arthritic, specifically Osteoarthritis. It would seem your problem isn't unlike the one my friend with a bunion has. (Not that you have a bunion, but hers is a symptom of the recently diagnosed Osteoarthritis in her foot.) But you both have a diseased (sick) joint.

My father had a similar problem and took medication for it to suppress the onset, and it worked for 20 years. Ironically, if you discuss this problem with a doctor or consultant, their solution will undoubtedly be: "Stop wearing heels if wearing them causes you pain." And I don't know that would be bad advice. As for "benign form of arthritis", that seems like a contradiction of terms (oxymoron) since arthritis usually produces pain and often disfigurement.

If you are already under the care of a doctor, you might have a discreet 'off he medical records' chat about this?          

[hoborob]

I really only wear heels when the mood strikes so its not really that bad. I can wear the knee high boots for extended periods of time really with only minor discomfort so it's not really an issue with them. The higher heels I wear mainly when I am sitting around as walking in them is a bit difficult for me as they throw off my balance because they tend to be wobbly.

The medical term for what I did to my foot (which as I thought about it was my right foot, the big toe that starts hurting is on my left foot) is hyperextension. Basically when I went down I managed to bend all five toes backwards to the point of damaging the ligaments. It took about a week to be able to go back to work and then about 6 months to be able to walk normally. It was not a really fun time for me. The accident happened right in the middle of a big job we were working on and unfortunately I had all the plans with me, which meant the coworker that had to take over for had to come all they to my house to get them. But then life goes on and I eventually got back to the job.

[FastFreddy2]

 

Quote

The medical term for what I did to my foot (which as I thought about it was my right foot, the big toe that starts hurting is on my left foot) is hyperextension. Basically when I went down I managed to bend all five toes backwards to the point of damaging the ligaments. It took about a week to be able to go back to work and then about 6 months to be able to walk normally.

Sorry to hear that, it sounds pretty bad.  

 

17 hours ago, hoborob said:

I really only wear heels when the mood strikes so its not really that bad. I can wear the knee high boots for extended periods of time really with only minor discomfort so it's not really an issue with them. The higher heels I wear mainly when I am sitting around as walking in them is a bit difficult for me as they throw off my balance because they tend to be wobbly.

 

Pictures of your shoes would always be welcome.  Those of us with poor imagination, sometimes need help.  

 

I mentioned my walking friend and osteoarthritis .... A picture is worth a thousands words .... 

30 years of wearing heels, sometimes for 10 hours a day, helped produce this effect. NOT hereditary bunions I was told today. (I was sure it had been mentioned, but my mistake.)

Was it worth it? 

30 years of getting (and giving) pleasure from wearing a heel, verses a further 20 or 30 years of "ugly" potentially painful feet? My take is this ....

Not everyone gets to be old enough to get the "ugly" feet bit, so enjoy a heel if you like to **.... And .... not everyone with painful and deformed feet, got them through heel wearing. Even wearing flats, a person might well get painful feet anyway. So wear a heel if you want to, 'bad' feet might be inevitable whatever you wear.

 

 

** There is an analogy I'm reminded of now and then, to do with personal sacrifice/restraint. I usually hear it in restaurants. It runs something like; "How many women waved off the cake tray onboard the Titanic?" Meaning, 'what is the point of going without if your are not going to complete your voyage?' (Not the most cheerful comparison, but unlikely to offend anyone involved, or their immediate family.)

 

Edited September 3, 2016 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2]

Further reading ....

>> Here <<

Suggesting 'fused' or locked joints to help with long-term pain.

[KRAZY KEV]

you dont need to wear heels too long to be in pain.  here are some pics of my foor after walking 5 miles in a pair of 7 inch courts with a 2 inch platform.  the grren shoe is what i was wearing atthe time

[FastFreddy2]

I have very good experience with Compeed 'plasters'. They are unlike any other (cheaper) product, in that they are padded, and do a very good job of reducing the effects of rubbing (blister) damage. Even used after so much damage, they bring relief and comfort in a couple of minutes after application.

I don't know how you seem to have bruised so much of your feet though? Was this for a charity walk?

 

Lastly, you have included a Vehicle Registration Document (V5c) in one of your pictures. While I can't read it, it seems unlikely you would want the world to know your personal details? Hopefully there isn't a better quality picture posted anywhere else.