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Are High Heels a Dangerous Tango Fetish?by Sarah R. Graff |
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The quintessential image of tango always includes a woman’s dainty foot in a high heeled shoe pointed into the floor. At milongas around the world, women don high heels of various styles and heights, dancing for hours on end. High heels complete the tango look, however, is it possible that they could damage your feet, inevitably ending your social dancing life? Doctor’s studies have shown that high heeled shoes can cause short and long term damage to the body. Whether high heels are thin stilettos or thick wedges they can cause problems to women’s knees, ankles, and feet. Short term damage can include back pain, sprained ankles or broken bones from turning your foot the wrong way or falling. Long term damage can include osteoarthritis in the knee (a painful, degenerative joint disease), which may develop after years of wearing high heels. A study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School linked high heels and knee osteoarthritis. This joint disease is characterized by the breakdown of the articular cartilage surrounding the knee. The cartilage acts as a shock absorber between the bones and when it breaks down the bones begin to grind together causing pain, swelling, and decreased motion. Walking on high heels puts excessive stress on the front and back of the knee which could eventually lead to osteoarthritis (Kerrigan, Todd, and Riley 1998). Wearing high heels can cause a variety of foot problems especially in the metatarsal bones of the foot (the area just before the toes, more commonly referred to as the ball of the foot). One common problem is called metatarsalgia which refers to general pain in the ball of the foot. It is also possible to develop metatarsal stress fracture which can be caused by unusual stress on the metatarsals. Another condition, called Morton’s neuroma, is associated with pain and swelling caused by a growth of nerve tissue around the third and fourth toes. It usually develops in response to irritation and excessive pressure such as the burden of weight that high heels place on the ball of the foot. So what is an avid tango dancer to do? We can’t just throw out our 4 inch heels now can we? First of all, high heels are part of the tango fetish. It’s just one element that makes tango, well, tango. Also, many beautiful jueguitos (adornments) are done using our heels. What can we do to keep ourselves healthy while continuing to indulge in our fetish? The most important thing you can do is to find the right shoes for you. Although it can be difficult finding tango shoes that fit well, especially when ordering them from abroad, it is extremely important that your shoes fit you well to reduce the risk of injuries. If you have the luxury of traveling to Buenos Aires or even to a festival where shoe companies are selling their wares, it is important to try on the shoes and make sure they fit. Normally both feet are not equal in size so it is important to fit the larger sized foot. If you can have shoes made just for your feet this is the best option. Shoe manufacturers in Buenos Aires will do this for you and it is not very expensive. The shoes that you buy should also be stable. This means that the heel should be centered accurately and your foot should be firmly enclosed by the shoe. So that you can walk and dance in them, do not buy the highest heel unless it is comfortable for you. You can build up to wearing a higher heeled shoe. So if you are not used to wearing 4 inch heels, then start with the height that is most comfortable for you. Also, women with a higher arched foot have more tolerance for a higher heel naturally. The next most important thing you can do is to stretch your muscles. High heels enhance the appearance of your legs by contracting your calf muscles. Wearing high heels on a regular basis can cause these muscles to permanently contract, making walking in flat shoes or even bare feet more difficult. Sometimes it can also cause muscle cramps. You can minimize this problem by stretching your calf muscles before and after a night of dancing. The final important thing you can do to prevent injuries from dancing in high heels is to strengthen your feet, ankles, and calves for dancing. There are many exercises available to make these parts of your body stronger and making them stronger will not only prevent injuries but it will improve your dancing. You will not only be able to execute lovely embellishments with ease but you will also be able to dance effortlessly all night long. For more information about wearing high heels you can visit these resources: http://www.2heels.com/dancing.html - website devoted to wearing high heels by J. J. Leganeur. She also has a book, All About Wearing High Heels. “Womens Foot Health - News” by American Association of Women Podiatrists, Inc. http://www.aawpinc.com/news.htm
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