High heel could be blamed for flat feet, found a recent study. Women are more likely to develop the problem of flat feet than men because of high heels and the problem keeps on increase further if they spend large piece of day standing up.
Flat feet occur when tendons in the feet become weakened due to proteins that occur naturally in the body, believe researchers from the University of East Anglia. Due to this the arch of the foot fallen, which can escort to agonizing pain and difficulty in walking. About three and half percent of British population is believed to be affected by flat feet.
The agonizing condition is more frequent in women aged above forty, but this condition also runs in families with lots of sufferers are born with it. According to Dr Graham Riley, who carried out the research, high heels did not appropriately support the feet, due to which tendons become weaken.
Women who wore high heels were particularly at risk if they spent large chunks of the day standing up. High heel by altering the posture increase pressure on the ball of the foot. Repetitive wear is already known to strain the hips, knees and thighs. In addition to that it increases the risk osteoarthritis, back problems, hammer toe, corns and bunions.
In existing treatments, flat feet can be treated by wearing insoles or supportive padding inside the shoe. In more severe cases, patients have to undergo surgery to reshape their feet. Their study may have significant therapeutic insinuations as the activity of altered enzyme could be a target for new drug therapies in the future, stated Dr Riley.
They have also shown that similar alterations also occur in other painful conditions such as Achilles tendonitis, therefore this move forward could eventually result in an effective option to surgery for many patients. Their discovery could also lead to development of new medications to fight against these proteins and stop them weakening the tendons, added Dr Riley.
The study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases journal. Ageing alters to the supporting tendons add on to these problems and this study represents a first step to successfully unraveling some of the complex biochemistry that regulates tendon disorders, explained Prof Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK.