Wearing High Heels Makes Legs Stronger, Study Says

After years of hearing that high heels can cause leg, ankle and foot problems, one study has defied all odds and confirmed that wearing the notorious shoes can make legs stronger - well, at least for the first few years of wearing them, that is.

Health News reports that a research, published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, has observed and studied first-year to fourth-year female students at Hanseo University in South Korea for four years. These young women are flight attendant students and are required to wear heels to class as part of their school requirement.

Over the course of the research, the students appear to be manifesting stronger legs the more they got used to wearing high heels. When compared to freshmen, second-year and third-year students show greater strength around their ankles, especially in the joint area. However, the researchers have noticed that fourth-year students have showed ankle weakening and noticeable poor balance even when compared to first-year students.

This has led Jee Yong-Seok, Ph.D., co-author and exercise professor of the study, to conclude that wearing high heels in the first few years may first lead to adjustment and increased strength, as the ankles try to adapt to the stress caused by the new pair of heels. After some time, the ratio of strength in the ankles gradually weakens and eventually declines, contributing to unbalanced and unstable ankles.

The New York Times adds that Neil Cronin, a biology professor at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, found these findings to be alarming because strength imbalances may cause increased injury risk in other muscle groups such as the hamstrings or upper leg.

Though Science Daily has already reported that injury rates from wearing high heels have doubled between 2002 and 2012, both professors don't find it necessary to ask women to stop wearing heels. Dr. Yong-Seok states that ankle strengthening is the key, and this can be achieved by doing simple heel lifts and drops. Dr. Cronin suggests removing heels while sitting at desks to vary the length of the muscles at rest.

Women wear high heels to make them look sexier and create the illusion of being taller. But, running in heels, as recently portrayed in the movie "Jurassic World," should never be practiced as it is a very inefficient way to move and can cause foot pain. Needless to say, a pair of running shoes would have been the best option.