Are high heels bad for your health? Two experts review the evidence

The answer to the question: “Are high heels bad for your health?” may seem obvious to some. There is copious research into the manifold ways that high heels affect their wearers’ well-being, but it is highly fragmented, often focusing on specific health issues. Plus, there is also research that shows benefits to wearing high heels. We decided to take the many factors involved in high heel health into account and conduct the first systematic review of research into both the benefits and harms of high heel wear.

We identified 506 individual studies on the issue of high heels and health, screened 27 of them and included 20 publications in our evidence synthesis. Our findings, published in the journal BMC Public Health, showed consistent evidence linking high heel wear to an increased risk of bunions, musculoskeletal pain and injuries to the wearer. Some of these injuries, such as ankle fractures, were serious and required hospital attention.