Well, I'm not an expert on how they mix,but my hat off to a woman who works hard at losing weight, getting fit and dressing sexy as **** at the same time.

it might have been pinching a nerve maybe?

I don't know I wear heels every day at work but I take them off as soon as I get home and if I get a moment during they day to stretch my feet/ankles/calves. I haven't had any of the nerve issues but my heels are only 3-4 inches not 5. Good luck!

quote:<HR>Originally posted by patora:
I have never really worn high heels a great deal, but since i've been running and watching my diet and lost 35 kilos (77 lbs) I have been enjoying the new wardrobe possibilities! Yeah! This includes a fabulous pair of black high heeled leather boots (4-5 inch?) and several other pairs of heels I often sport when going out on the weekends.

I often go out dancing and since I'm drinking I end up walking huge distances as I cover the red light district over here... Anyways, my feet, which are rather sensitive anyways always end up begging for mercy, but last weekend the toes on my left foot were feeling tingly and now several days later I only get the tingly feeling when I first wake up and put my foot on the ground. I almost wonder if I've pinched a nerve or something, but it's getting better. I've been doing my runs as normal, but I was wondering what experiences others have had with mixing heels and running.

How do heels and running mix?<HR>

When you have been running around in today's conventional "training shoes" with thick heel, all of a sudden you switch to racing flats or spike shoes; you will most likely to hurt your calves and/or Achilles tendon. I was helping out "Beginning Women's Running Class" last spring. I was running along with this lady and she was complaining about calf cramping. I looked down and saw her wearing these "conventional" training shoes with thick heel. I scratched my head because she shouldn't be getting extra stretch in her calves by wearing those high-heeled training shoes. I thought for a while and... I turned to her and asked, "Do you wear high heel often?" She said all the time at work! Ah, that solves.

Wearing high heel a lot can shorten your Achilles tendon which will go through a lot of stretching and contracting during the act of running. There's nothing wrong with wearing high heel (and looking HOT) once in a while; but if you wear them constantly, you may want to consider compensating it by doing frequent Achilles stretching or wear extra low heel shoes when you are...well, not looking hot.

Also consider this; human feet are constructed like Eiffle Tower; there are your forefoot (base of your toes) and heel, along with the outer ridge of your foot, to take away your weight with youru arch acting as a spring. Imagine what would happen if you lift one side of Eiffle Tower... The other side would have to take ALL the weight and it also becomes very very unstable. That's basically what you're doing when you wear high heel...not the most healthy endevour! Particularly, when your high heel shoes have very pointy toes, chanced are, all your toes will be cramed into the narrow box and could potentially pinch some nerves, potentially creating other issues like bunions at the base of your big toes. Make sure you wear one of those toe spreading sponge thingie afterwards. Besides possibly pinching the nerves, these bunions could cause a lot of problem for you later on.

While I would HATE to see young attractive ladies (how do we know you're one of them? ;o)) not looking hot, I would also hate to see them get hurt. If you have a choice, wear something a little more forgiving around the toe area (more widely spread), slightly lower heel (as has been suggested), or even or the heel not so much like a weapen to men's feet (too pointy) to make it a bit more stable.

http://This message has been edited by Nobby (edited Nov-27-2007).

knock on wood. I have never had a blister from training like I have from a couple of hours in heels.
My cousins (fashionista's all) have laughed at my recent attempts to become more fashionable. Tell me the reason my feet hurt in 'girlie shoes' is because I buy cheap ones. I thought to laugh that off until just know when I read nobby's post. if those stupid Nike shock's give everyone who buys them shin splints then why wouldn't my payless heels be more likely to give me blisters than my cousins $600 jimmy choo shoes?
hmm something for me to think about I guess. Not that I'll be spending that, but I might rethink the pair I just got on Black Friday for $1.50

Congrats on the weight loss; go shake your money maker, maybe put some ballet flat in your bag, for the long walk home

Nobby
No factual scientific report that I know.
Every single and I do mean every single person that has come to me wearing them or has just bought a new pair for training has had shin splint issues. often fixed by simply changing shoes.
About 2 years ago I made it mandatory that all of my clients wear flat soles. Haven't had any calf/ shin issues since. None. Not a one! That's enough data for me

if you think about it. High heels throw your body out of alignment. Hips jut forward. shins stretch, calves knot up, which it turn throw your knees out of plum and "sway" your back. Which is what make a pair of stiletto's so sexy. Convert that to training, where you want things properly aligned, shoulders over hips, hips over knees, knees over ankles. (Now we've moved from high heels to thick soled training shoes) if your body is already out of wack. already putting your musculature in the wrong position, already tipping off balance. it's not even a leap to see how injury can be expected. Things always start at the bottom. (I'm anti-orthodic too) So your feet are tipped up, often with an exaggerated arch- throwing your ankles out, shins stretched, calves bunched, knees turned in, hips turned out, core swayed, shoulders either hunched or overcompensating, undue curve in the neck, headaches. That's before you try to run!
I didn't mean to ramble on but you see where I'm going with this? High heels are hot! Don't train in them

oh and the shox, well they are designed to "propel you forward" so IMO (again not a scientist) that's like putting a trampoline under half of your foot. Try this. barefoot. put your toes on the ground. then violently thrust your heel towards your shin, toes stay planted, because there are no shox under them, where does that put pressure? 3 inches above your ankle, shin side, what do you think repeatedly doing that will do?

Mel

quote:<HR>Originally posted by Nobby:
Melistic:

Is there any report or something like that actually says Nike Shocks (or Shox) cause shin splint? I ask this because, I recently had lunch with this guy who's an engineer. He said that high-heeled running shoes would cause shin splint (he's not a runner by the way). I asked him why and he drew a digram and explained. It's a simple physics; if you have extra distance from the tip of the heel (on the shoes) to the tip of your toe and land on your heel (i.e., on that tip); then you have that extra distance and that adds to the speed of "slamming" of the rest of your foot. "Extra heel thickness=extra length to the lever=extra speed of slamming=extra shock to the rest of your leg=shin splint" was basically the exasion he explained. And that makes sense to me.

Now I've digressed from high heel shoes to thick heeled running shoes but oh, well...<HR>

I'm no podiatrist, but all women universally say, at some point in an outing, my **** feet hurt in these heels....then why the **** wear the **** things? What sense does it make to subject oneself to such torture only to "look good"....they look silly to me....

then again, why do runners subject themselves to pain and suffering all the time?

quote:<HR>Originally posted by knifey:
Pokey's reply got me thinking: I don't have Nike Shox, but I did recently switch from a stability shoe (that after I was fitted for, determined I did not need) to a more neutral shoe (Asics Nimbus VIII). I never had calf pain before, but now I do. I have worn high heels for years, only been running for 3, only had calf pain for 6 months (since the switch in running shoes). Did switching from a stability shoe to a more neutral shoe cause the calf pain?

I only wear heels on a limited basis. And brown82799, IMHO, high heels are a lot like running shoes, if they hurt, they either are not the right shoe for you, no fitting properly, or poor quality. The right pair of heels should feel as comfy as your running shoes! <HR>

People used to run around everywhere or at least walk around everywhere on foot. Then we invented an automobile. Now we drive everywhere and running has become a luxury activity--you don't need to do it. So if you don't run much at all and drive everywhere; for the first time, you get out and run a block, you'd think you'd die. Is it because running is bad for you and driving car to go places is "better for you"? It's just you've lost so much of this "natural state"; you'd need to work at it to get it back. You weren't born with those 2 inch Shox cylinders sticking on your heels; your heel in fact were flat on the ground at 90 degrees.

Whether those high-tech thick-soled shoes are better for you or not depends a lot with how you run, how much you run and how hard you run, and what you've been doing (and what you've been wearing). If you've been running in those shoes for years on end and had no trouble whatsoever, and switch to so-called minimalist shoes and have kept at it for quite a while, say, 6 months and you keep having problems, why bother? Most likely it's not for you. I would still say it's better for you (you in general) but I wouldn't force anybody to do it that way. Some people have their heart on the right side of the chest and that does not mean they are "wrong".

I think men invented nylons and high heel shoes for women; and in revenge, women invented ties. I think high heels look sexy (well, not all of them) but they sure as **** don't look comfortable to me! They could be, I guess, if you get used to; but I still don't think they are natural.


http://This message has been edited by Nobby (edited Nov-29-2007).