October 31, 2016

Head Over Heels: Find your perfect high heel shoe!

Are you head over heels for shoes that hurt your feet? Going to a Melbourne Cup function tomorrow? There is a way to find your ideal heel height that won’t have you trotting like the horses you’re watching for the big race!

I’m sure most of us women have been there – we’ve fallen in love with a pair of shoes that hurt us over and over but they’re just too pretty to let go of. Don’t do it again! Some women are built for sky high heels, and some of us are built for flats, and it all depends on one bone in the body.

high-heel-shoes

The talus is the single bone that connects our foot to our leg, and the way it moves dictates what height heel you should wear. When holding your legs out straight with a relaxed foot, if your foot tilts down you’re probably a natural heel wearer. If your foot sits up at a 90 degree angle, you might find you’re uncomfortable at any height.  A podiatrist in London, Emma Supple, has derived a formula for the Perfect Heel Height (PHH)! It’s super simple too. All you need is a chair, tape measure, pencil and willing friend.

  1. Take off your shoes, sit down and hold one leg straight out. If your foot falls forward (we call this mobility in the talus), you’re a natural heel wearer!
  2. To find your PHH, get a friend to help stretch the tape measure from your heel in a straight line parallel to the floor, and then place a pencil at the ball of your foot at a right angle to the tape.
  3. Reading the tape measure where it hits the pencil will give you your ideal heel height.

There, wasn’t that easy?

Of course our experienced podiatrists can help you too! If you need advice on footwear that will work for you while still looking races ready, you can book an appointment online to see us at www.podiatrypractice.com.au or give us a call (07) 3391 3900.

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