For many of the women who come to see us with ankle, knee or lower back pain, the cause is the same. High heels.<\/p>\n
Each time, we explain that they have two choices: to give up their heels and resolve the problem for good; or to continue to suffer in the name of style, but with exercises and stretches to help reduce and manage some of the worst side-effects. No prizes for guessing which the majority choose.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re attached to your high heels, the following stretches \u2013 three times a day at least \u2013 will help give you maximum style points for minimum injury risk:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stand with your toes on the edge of a step and relax your heels down, until you feel a stretch through the back of your legs. Stretch for 45-60 seconds.<\/p>\n Counteracting the anterior tilt that heels cause to the pelvis. When in a standing position simply lift your ankle to your bum, pushing the hip forward. Hold for 45-60 secs. Repeat for the other leg.<\/p>\n By shortening the muscles under the foot, high heels put pressure on the Achilles tendon and calf, and can cause the arch to fall and the knee to rotate internally. To stretch out these muscles, roll a golf ball slowly under the arch with as much downward pressure as you can take, especially on any knots. It\u2019s painful but worth it \u2013 remind you of anything?<\/p>\n An easy stretch that you can do at your desk. Pull your toes back and up, and hold for 60 secs. You\u2019re working and strengthening the shin muscle, counterbalancing the shortening effects of heels on your calf muscles.<\/p>\n Remember, high heels are designed for standing around in looking glamorous, not for hiking. So wear flats to and from work and keep heels in your bag for going out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For many of the women who come to see us with ankle, knee or lower back pain, the cause is the same<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":7882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,102,118],"tags":[58,89],"class_list":["post-1942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-prehab","category-workouts-exercises","tag-injury-prevention","tag-prehab"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n1. Calf stretch<\/h3>\n
2. Thigh stretch<\/h3>\n
3. Arch stretch<\/h3>\n
4. Toe stretch<\/h3>\n
\n