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15 September 2009
PRESS RELEASE
Feet bear the brunt of daily life, and for many workers, prolonged standing, badly fitted footwear, and high heels can be a hazard in the workplace. Around 2 million days a year are lost through sickness as a result of lower limb disorders. In the NHS, millions are spent on foot operations a year.
Many employers in the retail sector force women workers to wear high heels as part of their dress code. With its motion at the TUC conference, the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists is calling on employers to give employees a choice on what they wear. Wearing high heels can cause long term foot problems, such as blisters corns and callus, to serious foot, knee and back pain, and damaged joints.
More needs to be done to raise awareness of this problem so that women workers and their feet are protected.
ENDS
For further information please contact: Nita Parmar on 0845 450 3724 / 07768 552464 or Tina Davies on 0845 450 3739
Notes to Editor
The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists is the leading professional body for registered chiropodists and podiatrists in the UK. In short, they’re the UK’s experts for everything and anything to do with feet. Podiatry (also known as chiropody) is the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and other disorders of the feet.
The impact of high high-heels on your feet:
- Throw weight onto the ball of the foot, which may lead to callous, painful bunions, corns and deformity.
- Push the centre of mass in the body forwards, causing the spine to bend backwards to compensate. This can lead to back problems.
- The position of the foot in the shoe, and an often-narrow heel width can cause the ankle to become unstable, resulting in ankle sprains.
- The calf muscle may shorten and tighten. Wearing high-heels for long periods - more than six months - may cause the calf muscle to become shortened all the time. The body compensates for this tightness in the calf-muscle by lowering the arch of the foot, or affecting the knee, hip or back.
Soc Chiropodists & Podiatrists 15-Sep-2009
Categories: Work Wear, Footwear
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