Shoes are massive fashion-statement. Having a beautiful pair on that is both comfortable and trendy, is a head-turner. However, what if the shoes are TIGHT? Would you sacrifice your comfort at the expense of looking stylish? I know I would not. Not to sound like a medical professional, but foot on its own has very different anatomy to its own. Shoes that are too tight can make you a lot more uncomfortable than trendy at a social gathering. Therefore, whenever you pick up a new pair of shoes for yourself; make sure always to buy a pair that fits your size and is not tight.
Here in this article, I cover the Top 6 problems that are caused by wearing tight shoes.
PAIN IN FOOT
The most common symptom of wearing tight shoes and carrying out your chores is our very own “FOOT PAIN”. The pain could be anywhere, beginning from the frontal-toe moving down to the ankle. The main reason for this is the pair of shoe that you have put on has a reduced toe box volume, meaning the shoe constricts the toes and thus rendering your toes to move about freely in the shoe. This in result put a massive strain on your feet and causing you to be uncomfortable.
INGROWN TOENAILS
This particular symptom is all kinds of trouble. Ingrown toenails occur when the edges of your toenail grow sporadically and pierce into the skin of your toe causing you discomfort, pain and sometimes even infection. The normal biology of the nails is that they should be kept free to grow in the direction they intend to. Ingrown toenails happen when the shoe is too tight and plummets the direction of your toe in an uncomfortable direction.
DEFORMITIES OF THE TOE
Prolonged abuse of the foot by using tight shoes is distressing. When your feet are continuously pushed to be kept in a restricted environment (your tight shoe); feet starts taking up the shape of its newly built surrounding. The deformities that take place in such cases are below and not only limited to:
- HAMMERTOES
A person is said to have hammertoes when the shape of the foot starts to bend and makes it look like a claw instead of its original shape. This happens because the joints in your foot do not get enough space in the tight shoes to develop and remain comfortable, instead are pushed and molded in such a way as to adjust to the shape and geometry of the shoe itself. One thing to note here is that this is a progressive disorder and it only gets worse over the years if not treated at its earlier stages. Hammertoes begin by supplying pain to your feet, and then gradually formation of corns and calluses begin to appear. If not attended to, this condition worsens into a Hammertoe which is a permanent deformation and can only then be fixed via surgery. Ouch!
- BUNIONS
These are enlarged bones that grow at the base of your big toe. Over time, the big toe turns inward and thus causing your significant discomfort, pain and swelling. - CORNS & CALLUSES
These things start appearing on your toes, ankles or any other part of your foot when the friction between your skin and the tight-shoes happen frequently. This not only is repulsive to look at but often at times these become infection and are painful. They cause a great deal of discomfort while you walk, making your everyday experience terrible.
METATARSALGIA
If your work involves moving around and or walking around
quite often, then you should stay away from ill-fitting shoes as the when the
ball of the foot (commonly known as METATARSAL) keeps on getting squeezed by
the tight shoes, the area becomes inflamed causing significant discomfort and
pain. To soften the pain and not let it spoil your day, it is always advised to
go for the size of shoe that fits you.
If you have diagnosed that you have picked up the METATARSALGIA pain, there are
a couple of home remedies that you can resort to that might help soothe the
pain and help your foot heal. Putting ice directly onto the surface and taking
rest helps.
Foot Ulcers in Diabetes
Diabetes are more prone to discomfort when wearing
tight-shoes, thus ending up with foot ulcers. Ulcers, similar to corns, are
open sores or wounds that form on the feet when the skin is constantly rubbing
up against the shoe. These ulcers are 100% preventable if you wear the right
type of footwear and the correct size.
Not to scare you readers, but according to the American Podiatric Medical
Association, 85% of the amputations related to diabetes are preceded by foot
ulcers. So be wary of this!
SORENESS IN OTHER AREAS OF YOUR BODY
Tight-shoes not only cause discomfort to your feet but sometimes it can also lead to problems to your other parts of the body. Legs, hips and even the lower back. When you are pushed by your tight-shoes to adjust your gait and posture, it throws out your body’s alignment out of proportion causing a massive strain on the other muscles. Which in results leads to other severe problems which I would not like to mention here, to not to scare my readers.
Conclusion
So to sum it all up, it is always important to stay far away from shoes that are not your size. Just because you like the design or the shape of the shoe; you don’t have to buy it if it doesn’t fit you or if your size is not available for that particular pair. Keep the above symptoms in mind before your next shoe purchase, and you would save yourself the medical bills and the dismay that tags along with these nifty tight-shoes. Stay safe!
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