Impact of different heel heights on spinal posture and muscle activity in young adult women

Abstract

Context High-heeled shoes are frequently used by women. Whether wearing high-heeled shoes can alter the alignment and muscle activity of the spine is still a debatable issue among many clinicians. Aims The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of different heel heights on the spinal posture and muscle activity in adult women, who do not habitually wear high-heeled shoes. Materials and methods A repeated measures design was implemented in this work. A total of 17 healthy women participated in this study. Before collecting data, each participant had a 10-min familiarization period for each heel height. Spinal alignment parameters, sagittal angles, and the amplitude of lumbar erector spinae electromyography were recorded while standing, wearing shoes of different heel heights (0, 6, and 10 cm). Descriptive statistics including mean and SD was applied for dependent variables and participant demographics. Repeated measures analysis of variance was implemented to detect the differences in dependent measures among three heel conditions. Results Sagittal spine angles and alignment parameters were not impacted by wearing high-heeled shoes. Lumbar erector spinae electromyography amplitudes increased with higher heels. However, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion Short-term use of high-heeled shoes does not induce changes in spine shape or lumbar spine muscular activation in nonhabitual wearers. Thus, further investigation of the long-term impact is required. The current findings may be important to consider by physiotherapists managing spinal postural dysfunctions.