Footwear and its affect on health
Does your feet throb after a night out with friends? Does
your knee feel sore? Does your back ache? Do you know why? You are
wearing the wrong shoes! Dozens of research have been published in the last few
years showing that most shoes do more harm than good, including the extremely cushioned
and arch supporting running shoe that you own. According to some podiatrists,
comfortable shoes do not necessarily mean that they are more supportive or healthy
(Adams). Goes against intuition right? In the next few minutes, I will explain
the problem with most shoes, what shoes are better, and what to do if you are
already experiencing some side effects from wearing unsuitable shoes.
The evil shoe
In the last few years, the average height of high-heels has
gone from 3 to 5 inches (Rein). As a result, doctor visits for foot complaints
have increased by 75% (AAOS). Anyone who
has ever worn high heels can tell you that they are hell. Heels increase the
chances of ankle injuries, bunions, hammertoes, stress fractures, tendinitis,
plantar fasciitis, and other ligament injuries. It makes sense: you are
balancing your weight on a thin stiletto and all the pressure is on your toes.
But did you know that supportive running shoes could cause just as much damage? Shoes with cushioning encourage the customer to land on the heel first when
moving (something called heel strike). This alters the stride and posture of
the body, and therefore creates a unnatural walking pattern. To be continued...
Wow I didn't know that even cushioned shoes were bad for your feet! The questions are definitely a good way to grab the reader from the beginning, but I would omit the "I know why." part from the first paragraph and go straight into "You are wearing the wrong shoes!" Other than that, it's a good start!
ReplyDeleteAs girl who's feet ache after wearing heels, I emotionally and physically connect with this. This is an excellent topic because it is pertinent to everyone and everyday life! My one question would be is this going to target males or females or both? Because you start off with a reference to high heels, male readers may be turned off--that's just a hypothesis.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I love the topic and may need to go shoe shopping after!
Yea, like the other comments I wasn't aware that cushioned shoes was bad for your feet. And I really like the way you came off with multiple questions because it got me to think about how the shoes I wear make my feet feel.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above comments. Who is your audience? If you are targeting a women audience, then the start of the article is perfect, however if you're trying to influence both men and women, i would incorporate some attention getter two both genders.
ReplyDeleteI really like your topic especially since this topic has been brought to my attention lately by my chiropractor and some yoga courses i've been going to. Humans were never intended to wear shoes, so our natural way of walking was meant to be walked barefoot, hence the feet problems many face today.
Great topic!