Walking

[charlemaine]

I've got 4 pairs of heels, probably about all I can have before the wife goes nuts on me, yeah you've heard that before... 2 Pairs are 3 inchers (one with a chunky heel, the only pair I'd consider for normal daily wear out anywhere), one is a sitletto. My 4 inchers are a strappy sandal with a siletto heel that hurt to wear since my feet slide around a bit, and my last pair is my most recent: 5 inchers with a double ankle strap. Here's the question, I walk just fin in the 3's and more or less ok in the 4's. I do stumble in the 4's every now and then, and find myself putting a bit of strss on the heel when standing still if I'm not careful how I stop. With the 5's all these problems seem gone. My knees are still a bit weak to keep my legs straight as I walk, and on carpet or lineolium in the house, I do OK. It's if I go outside on the sidewalk, I notice that as I pick up a foot (either), the heel scrapes along for 1/4 inch or so and makes a noise. Am I walking wrong? How do I remedy this? Point my toes as I put a foot down? Smaller steps? I do have a long stride. Maybe I need more practice in a better pair of 4 inch heels before I move up. Thanks for help/advice!

[chris100575]

I don't know your shoe size, but I'm a UK 8 and find that there's a big difference between walking in four and five inch heels. It's just a matter of practise, when you master the four inch heels you'll find the fives easier to manage. Chris

[dr1819]

If you heels are scraping just before you put your foot down, you're not pointing your toes down enough nor keeping your knees high enough to keep them from scraping. I think they have training camps in Korea, because I swear half of all Korean women who wore high heels marched. This was neither sexy or attractive. Functional, yes - but it defeated the whole purpose of the high heel. It would have been far better if they'd cut half an inch or more so they could walk naturally. If you're scraping your heels, and really want to look stupid, try pointing or marching. If you want to look natural, which both sexes find far more accepting, chop the height half an inch to an inch. Heels should never be a chore, but rather, something that's second nature. If you're having work at the height you're at, you're simply at too high a height. It takes time (years, actually) to move from medium heights such as 3" to extreme heights such as 5" without looking like a wobbling idiot, and I don't care if you're female or male. Too many fashion show contestants highlighted on U-Tube have vividly demonstrated otherwise. So start low, go slow, and over time (years), you'll slowly grow into a height which is both manageable, long-term, as well as comfortable (and non-debilitating) throughout your years of heel wear. As a final thought - different people, regardless of original foot size, appear to be able (or unable) to wear heels of certain heights. Some can wear ankle-breaking heights without any discomfort. Others experience discomfort with 2" heels. It's highly individualistic, and just because one person boasts of being able to wear 6" heels while being a size 5 doesn't mean you should be able to wear 5" heels even though you're a size 13. Everyone's different. Keep that in mind and follow the preceeding advice, and you'll do just fine. Otherwise, you might wind up ruining, permanently, a perfectly good ankle or main toe, which requires significantly expensive, and painful, surgery. Either way, if you try to go too far, too fast, you'll wind up paying one way or another, as has every athelete who's ignored the basic principles of human physiology.

[jmc]

charlemaine -- You may be experiencing a difference in fit also. Each shoe has a fit all its own -- even different styles in the same size from the same manufacturer can fit differently. With flat, boring, clompy, standard-issue men's shoes this difference in fit is not usually noticed. But when you elevate the heel proper fitting becomes all that much more critical. Getting a pair that really fits well seems to be a bit of a "crap shoot" even if you do have the opportunity to try them on -- sometimes poor fit does not show up until after some wearing time. Just another of the charms and challenges of high heels!