March 10 - 17, 2000 -- Platform Shoes Raise Health Risk
Those popular platform shoes could cause foot problems, particularly for pre-teens who wear shoes with significant (3-inch) heels throughout the day. The slope puts additional stress on the forefoot and abnormally shortens the Achilles tendon. "Typically, the growth plate at the heel hasn't closed before the ages 12 or 13, when you're asking for trouble by wearing heels," says James Thomas, D.P.M., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery. But platform shoes are at least wide and flat, unlike narrow shoes that are prone to wobble under immature ankles.
Contact Hank Black, Media Relations, 205-934-8938 or [email protected].
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