By Anne A. Jambora
WEARING HIGH heels regularly puts one at greater risk of lower back pains, said Dr. Anton Cancio, chiropractic doctor and certified chiropractic sports physician.
The spine has a natural curve. Constantly wearing two-, three-inch heels or more alters the biomechanics of the spine, increasing the back’s curvature. When the curvature increases, the body will extend backwards.
Two things happen, said Cancio, when the back is extended: It causes stress and load to the facet joints at the back, and the muscular component is changed. Structure (spine) and muscular conditions are related; one cannot change without affecting the other, he said.
“As the structure increases in curvature, putting additional stress on the facet joints in the back, the muscles will shorten and contract and tighten. Overtime those two factors will lead to lower back pain,” Cancio said.
He holds clinic at the Cancio Chiropractic, located on the 2F Missouri Square Building, 101 Missouri corner Connecticut St., Greenhills, San Juan (tel. 7227530 and 0917-5807530).
Muscles adapt quickly
Cancio said the muscles adapt more quickly than you think. After four or five hours wearing heels, the muscles will remain in a certain position as when you were still in heels. When the muscles around the back are shortened, those in the front are lengthened. As contracted muscles get tight, lengthened muscles get weak. There will be a tug-of-war between the back and front muscles.
Another contributing factor is the structure you are born with. Some women are born with a little more curvature than the normal. The risk of lower back pains is even greater if one insists on wearing heels at all times. For women born with the least curve, wearing flat shoes is just as bad.
“That’s why if you’ve noticed some shoes are more comfortable. They may not be completely f lat and may have a two-inch heel but they feel just right for you. Everything boils down to structure,” Cancio said.
He said nine out of 10 fashionistas who insist on wearing high heels will definitely experience lower back pains. The problem is, Cancio said, fashionistas are so used to it they think it’s normal. Normal is when you don’t feel pain, he said.
Even ballroom or ballet dancers who have core and spine that are structurally strong still get lower back pains because they get beat up over time.
What to do
Stretching and muscle strengthening and proper nutrition can help, but Cancio said these are only secondary. Eventually the structural change will take its toll on the lumbar spine. He said it will be better for your lower back if you shun high heels.
Since muscles are shortened, stretching will keep the spine flexible and maintain its normal position when you’re not in heels anymore.
Strengthening the front muscles (core) will help distribute the load from the back and front and remove stress from the back. Doing something as simple as reaching for your toes, spine twisting, side-to-side bending, knee to chest exercises can relieve much of the stress buildup. Stretching is good for the back; strengthening is good for the core.
Rule of thumb, said Cancio, is not to sit in one position for more than an hour without moving your spine. Standing up to get a glass of water or even simply walking around your chair could alleviate the stress on your back.
“When muscles adapt it’s called creep, a condition muscles undergo when they adapt to the posture of the spine. Standing up even for a few seconds will be like resetting the muscles,” he said.
Lower back pains won’t cripple anyone, but the quality of life will definitely be affected. Cancio said it is guaranteed that after at least 10 years of consistently wearing high heels, one’s curvature will increase. It’s going to be uncomfortable as women age, he said, since things will only get worse from thereon.
Huge bags
Another accessory that contributes to one’s body pain, he said, is a huge bag. Heavy bags will eventually lead to shoulder and neck pains, which could trigger headache or migraine.
Generally, he said, the bigger the bag the heavier it is with less important things. Switch them from right to left shoulder, or don’t carry the same bag every day. Notice, he said, how people who regularly carry heavy bags tilt sideways when walking. Notice, too, he added, how these people still tilt sideways even when they’ve put down the bag.
“It’s all about load distribution in the spine and how the muscles adapt. Once you have an alteration to the alignment of the spine the muscles automatically adapt to that change,” he said.
It’s not that people don’t know what’s causing their pain; it’s just that they have to be reminded how to manage them better. Bring back alignment and mobility to help the muscles relax and return to normal.
“People generally respond well to chiropractic. They’ll notice their back is not as painful, shoulder not as tense and headache gone even if they continue to wear heels or carry heavy bags,” he said.
When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
The spine has a natural curve. Constantly wearing two-, three-inch heels or more alters the biomechanics of the spine, increasing the back’s curvature. When the curvature increases, the body will extend backwards.
Two things happen, said Cancio, when the back is extended: It causes stress and load to the facet joints at the back, and the muscular component is changed. Structure (spine) and muscular conditions are related; one cannot change without affecting the other, he said.
“As the structure increases in curvature, putting additional stress on the facet joints in the back, the muscles will shorten and contract and tighten. Overtime those two factors will lead to lower back pain,” Cancio said.
He holds clinic at the Cancio Chiropractic, located on the 2F Missouri Square Building, 101 Missouri corner Connecticut St., Greenhills, San Juan (tel. 7227530 and 0917-5807530).
Muscles adapt quickly
Cancio said the muscles adapt more quickly than you think. After four or five hours wearing heels, the muscles will remain in a certain position as when you were still in heels. When the muscles around the back are shortened, those in the front are lengthened. As contracted muscles get tight, lengthened muscles get weak. There will be a tug-of-war between the back and front muscles.
Another contributing factor is the structure you are born with. Some women are born with a little more curvature than the normal. The risk of lower back pains is even greater if one insists on wearing heels at all times. For women born with the least curve, wearing flat shoes is just as bad.
“That’s why if you’ve noticed some shoes are more comfortable. They may not be completely f lat and may have a two-inch heel but they feel just right for you. Everything boils down to structure,” Cancio said.
He said nine out of 10 fashionistas who insist on wearing high heels will definitely experience lower back pains. The problem is, Cancio said, fashionistas are so used to it they think it’s normal. Normal is when you don’t feel pain, he said.
Even ballroom or ballet dancers who have core and spine that are structurally strong still get lower back pains because they get beat up over time.
What to do
Stretching and muscle strengthening and proper nutrition can help, but Cancio said these are only secondary. Eventually the structural change will take its toll on the lumbar spine. He said it will be better for your lower back if you shun high heels.
Since muscles are shortened, stretching will keep the spine flexible and maintain its normal position when you’re not in heels anymore.
Strengthening the front muscles (core) will help distribute the load from the back and front and remove stress from the back. Doing something as simple as reaching for your toes, spine twisting, side-to-side bending, knee to chest exercises can relieve much of the stress buildup. Stretching is good for the back; strengthening is good for the core.
Rule of thumb, said Cancio, is not to sit in one position for more than an hour without moving your spine. Standing up to get a glass of water or even simply walking around your chair could alleviate the stress on your back.
“When muscles adapt it’s called creep, a condition muscles undergo when they adapt to the posture of the spine. Standing up even for a few seconds will be like resetting the muscles,” he said.
Lower back pains won’t cripple anyone, but the quality of life will definitely be affected. Cancio said it is guaranteed that after at least 10 years of consistently wearing high heels, one’s curvature will increase. It’s going to be uncomfortable as women age, he said, since things will only get worse from thereon.
Huge bags
Another accessory that contributes to one’s body pain, he said, is a huge bag. Heavy bags will eventually lead to shoulder and neck pains, which could trigger headache or migraine.
Generally, he said, the bigger the bag the heavier it is with less important things. Switch them from right to left shoulder, or don’t carry the same bag every day. Notice, he said, how people who regularly carry heavy bags tilt sideways when walking. Notice, too, he added, how these people still tilt sideways even when they’ve put down the bag.
“It’s all about load distribution in the spine and how the muscles adapt. Once you have an alteration to the alignment of the spine the muscles automatically adapt to that change,” he said.
It’s not that people don’t know what’s causing their pain; it’s just that they have to be reminded how to manage them better. Bring back alignment and mobility to help the muscles relax and return to normal.
“People generally respond well to chiropractic. They’ll notice their back is not as painful, shoulder not as tense and headache gone even if they continue to wear heels or carry heavy bags,” he said.
When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
Published in Philippine Daily Inquirer Sept. 20, 2010.
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