Surprise — High Heels Are Bad For Your Ankles

High heels and I clearly have a love-hate relationship — I love how they elongate my legs, but I hate how the cutest looking pair of heels are always deceivingly the most painful to wear. However, according to a study conducted at Hanseo University in South Korea, it turns out that high heels may be bad for your ankles. The study, which was published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, recorded the results of 40 women around the ages of 18 to 22 years old, and their findings may just be enough to convert you to wearing flats.

The study required one group of women to wear heels of various heights to their classes and the control group was asked to wear shoes that weren't heels. The study showed that, "collegiate women who wore shoes with four-inch high heels more than three times per week to their classes developed an imbalance of four functional ankle muscles." However, at first, "wearing high-heeled shoes appeared to strengthen ankle muscles," but over time, researchers found that, "prolonged use eventually caused an imbalance, which is a crucial predictor of ankle injury."

If you naturally have weak ankles or if you find yourself rolling your ankles from just walking, you might want to stay away from heels. But if you're going out for a special night, just try to keep the heels under four inches. I'm not sure if this study is the reason why flats are getting really popular — we're seeing a lot of celebrities ditching their heels for a comfortable pair of flats — but I'm totally on board with it.

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