The Impact of High Heels on Walking Biomechanics and Foot Arches

Every year approximately 20,000 women find themselves in the Emergency Room due to accidents from wearing high heel shoes. Indisputably, walking in elevated heels changes the way we walk. The goal of this project was to assess the impact of high heels on walking efficiency and biomechanics. This was achieved by comparing muscle activity in the leg while walking in 4-inch-tall block heels to muscle activity while walking barefoot. Electromyography (EMG) was used to simultaneously assess muscle activity in the medial gastrocnemius (MG), soleus (S), and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles in a single female participant versed in walking in high heels. The wireless probes were attached to the central belly of each muscle and monitored while the participant walked to a metronome at 100 beats per minute (bpm). Muscle activity was captured for 7 seconds (approximately 10 steps are 5 complete gait cycles). Data was collected first in the barefoot condition and then wearing heels. The results indicate that all three muscles were about 150% more active when walking in high heels compared to walking barefoot. The TA muscle was continuously active walking in heels, while the MG and S muscles exhibited additional bursts of activity during the gait cycle when walking in heels. These data suggest that walking barefoot is more energy efficient than walking in heels and that muscle overuse may be a contributing factor in muscle soreness, fatigue, or accidents after prolonged periods of walking in heels. A comparison of footprints from identical twins also suggests wearing heels frequently can alter the foot arches.