Weight Distribution Wearing Heels

[Rockpup]

Heyo, someone posted an article earlier today commenting again about one downside of heels is that excessive stress is placed on the bones of the front of the foot. This in mind I was paying attention to where I felt my weight when walking and standing in the boots I was wearing. In 3.5" wedge heels I could tell more weight seemed to be on the heel portion of my feet then the front. Later on at home I was wearing 4" non-stiletto's and could feel more weight on the balls of my feet. Question is, does there exist a critical point in heel height where your body naturally shifts the weight forward, or is it based on the stability of the heel itself as in the wider wedge heel tells your body to rest back a bit while the thinner heels cause your body to know to keep the weight forward where there is stability. Just a thought.

[Gudulitooo]

Rockpup, I think it strongly depends on the shoes / boots ability to provide arch support. This is especially true with low quality large size heels : they take the same dies as for standard size heels, and only add lenght to the toes. Result : no arch support at all. I wear nylon socks to try on my shoes, so that if my foot naturally slides to the toes, that means there is not enough arch support and the weight distribution is awful.

[Dr. Shoe]

It's a bit of both really, It all depends on how pronounced the arch itself is and your posture. The more curvy the arch the more weight will be in the heel but this will be countered if you tend to lean forward or if you take large strides. Conversely, a flatter arch could transfer weight to your heels if you tend to lean back.

[Rockpup]

Hrm, will keep an eye on that. Again wearing the wedge boots and just sitting here with my ankle fairly straight I feel pretty even contact over the surface of the foot, from ball, arch, and heel. I'll try the knee boots to see. To Gudulitooo's point, I've only worn the knee boots out with stockings, so I wonder if that causes the foot to slide forward slightly. This seems unlikely as I do not notice toe contact, and they seem to be snug over the top of the foot. I will try them barefoot at some point to see if that keeps my foot from moving and sole of foot and boot together.

For this experiment I'm comparing the Ash Zenith ankle boots and Cole Haan Air Jalisa 90 knee boots. Both seem well made and comfortable.

There is about 1/2" difference in heel height, but as can be expected the ankle boots are more stable.

[Shafted]

The load should be shared by the ball and the heel of the foot. If you notice the balls of your feet getting fatigued, lean back on your heels some more.

[DebbiNC]

As one who wears heels most every day, one of my secrets ( from my mom who was a heel fanatic) is to let your body weight settle on your hips which will place the bulk of your weight on your heels. As Shafted mentioned above, you'll never survive heels for long periods if you place most of your weight on the balls of your feet. This is really important if you're in a situation where you'll be standing for extended periods. Shifting your weight to your heels will make a huge difference in your staying power in high heels. Also, when walking, allow the shoes to set your gait (i.e. a 5 inch heel will make you walk differently from a 3 inch heel) . Many women look awkward wearing heels because they ignore this rule. And for guys who are into heels, the same tips apply!

[Rockpup]

Hrm, thinking about it I do tend to be self concious about noisy heels, this may be causing me to keep more weight forward without thinking about it.

[Gudulitooo]

It's a bit of both really, It all depends on how pronounced the arch itself is and your posture. The more curvy the arch the more weight will be in the heel but this will be countered if you tend to lean forward or if you take large strides. Conversely, a flatter arch could transfer weight to your heels if you tend to lean back.

Yes very true, but I may have not well expressed my idea : more than low arch support, when the heel is too much at the back of the shoe I find my weight on my toes. Even with block heels so I thought it came from not enough arch support. Is it possible to help with insoles ?

[Shafted]

when the heel is too much at the back of the shoe I find my weight on my toes.

I've seen a lot of these crap designs even from designer brands. They are a plain bad design regardless of cost or designer. It is a case of form following fashion, not function.

These lame designers treat their work as art. What they need to learn is that they design shoes to be worn. When art supersedes function in a shoe don't expect it to be comfortable.

[leyland1]

Slightly off topic, but is it normal for stiletto heels to flex backwards when you stand or walk, especially on a linoleum floor? Am I right in thinking I need better quality heels? Or am I just to heavy for stiletttos? I am 20 stone and 5'9" and the heels are 5.5" with 1.1" platform. Hereis a link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220937096506?var=520065208650&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Mine are size 16 (US)/47 Eu. Btw anyone know a shop in the UK that sells hh ankle boots in that size, where I could take these along for size comparison?

[Gudulitooo]

I've seen a lot of these crap designs even from designer brands.

I would think there is no link between the heel place and the comfort, as I expected some internal reinforcement engineered materials were available in 2012...

[hhboots]

Slightly off topic, but is it normal for stiletto heels to flex backwards when you stand or walk, especially on a linoleum floor? Am I right in thinking I need better quality heels? Or am I just to heavy for stiletttos? I am 20 stone and 5'9" and the heels are 5.5" with 1.1" platform.

Mine are size 16 (US)/47 Eu. Btw anyone know a shop in the UK that sells hh ankle boots in that size, where I could take these along for size comparison?

Leyland, I think weight can certainly be a factor, but shoe quality and the type of heel is important as well. For example, I weigh about 5 stone less than you, while I have some pairs that flex somewhat as you describe, most of mine don't flex much and feel solid as I walk.

I would just suggest that you compare and try some other heels, maybe also try some slightly thicker heels too, and see if you notice a difference. My thicker heels seem to consistently feel the most solid to me, so perhaps for your weight, you may want to check into thicker heels.

[Curt]

Funny, I have a pair of 3" heels that are hard to walk in, and have a few pairs of designer heels. 4.5" heels, with .75" of platform that are a dream to walk in. I think the angle and the heel location makes you distribute your weight a lot better. If you want to get good at walking in heels, just wear stilletos, you will have to learn to walk perfectly, chunkys let you cheat too much. And are probably damageing you joints without you knowing it. Even SHAFTED will probably agree with this.

[Shafted]

If you want to get good at walking in heels, just wear stilletos, you will have to learn to walk perfectly, chunkys let you cheat too much. And are probably damageing you joints without you knowing it. Even SHAFTED will probably agree with this.

Are you trying to get my attention? It worked. I agree except cheat is a little harsh, chunckys are more forgiving if one has a noticeable toe in or toe out condition, but they do cause more impact on the body.

[Histiletto]

When the height of the heel starts positioning the ankle more forward than up with respect to the toes, the more the balls of the feet will be forced to bear more of the total weight. As long as the ankle joint is perpendicularly behind the ball joint, more of the total weight will be borne by the heel of the foot when under the shoe there is a stiletto, block, wedge, blade, cone, spike, spring, air bag, or etc. heel support.

[sinkem]

I think that there are a number of items that work to help/hurt weight distribution. The comfort of the heel, at least as I have been told, does not always relate to expensiveness of the shoe. I've heard more complaints about expensive heels hurting than less expensive ones. That being said, it may also be an issue of the expensive heels are worn less often and thus not broken in as well, therefore not as comfortable as the well worn and maintained heel. I remember back in the 80s, heeled sandals were all the rage (I loved that time), but quite often the sole of the shoe was too thin to give any support. I saw quite a few of these sandals flexing in directions they should not have been. Also, the heel was not as well attached as they are today (lots of screws, with minimal penetration into the heel itself). One of the things that I think make a shoe more capable of being comfortable is the natural curvature of the foot from the ball to the heel. When the heel cup is out of place or at an unnatural angle, the shoe will be uncomfortable. When sufficient arch support is not present (quite often a really big issue), then the foot suffers. In a heel, the arch of the foot gets elongated and thus flattened slightly, but still present. The best heels have a gradual curve from the flat part where the toes go through the ball of the foot, plus a natural foot curve with good arch support from the ball of the foot to the heel, where the heel angles slightly down. As far as weight distribution is concerned, a higher heel will cause more weight on the toes and less on the heel. Good padding in both areas is critical to comfort. Well my two pennies anyway. sinkem

[nailheels]

Slightly off topic, but is it normal for stiletto heels to flex backwards when you stand or walk, especially on a linoleum floor? Am I right in thinking I need better quality heels? Or am I just to heavy for stiletttos? I am 20 stone and 5'9" and the heels are 5.5" with 1.1" platform.

Hereis a link: http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1423.l2649

Mine are size 16 (US)/47 Eu. Btw anyone know a shop in the UK that sells hh ankle boots in that size, where I could take these along for size comparison?

You are certainly not too heavy for stilettos - that design you have posted a link to is a poor quality heel, it is angled too far backwards and will bend the heel back from the arch as you walk. You should look for a heel that is more curved in under your foot, allowing it to carry the weight better. Once you buy a good quality shoe or boot, there should be no problem in it carrying your weight without bending. My wife reached about 16.5 stone at one stage and wore 3 or 4 inch stilettos every day and wore some pairs to death and the heels never broke. Downside for her (upside for me) was that the heel tips never lasted longer than a couple of days, so she quickly gave up running to the menders and wore them with the nails exposed. All her stilettos survived, but a couple of floors didn't!