Science and Health

High heels more dangerous than sports

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-17 15:35

CANBERRA - Women are now more likely to injure themselves from taking a tumble in a pair of high heels than on the sports field, Australia's health workers said on Sunday.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, New South Wales Paramedics spokesman, Craig Pusser pointed out a rise in emergency calls by women suffering ankle fractures, dislocated knees, head injuries and broken wrists caused by falling from their shoes.

Pusser said podiatrists and chiropractors have seen "dramatic" increases in chronic injuries from wearing extreme heels long-term.

"The worst incident we've seen was a girl in her early 20s who rolled her ankle inwards in very high heels while standing in a club, resulting in a compound fracture, where the bone actually sticks out," he told Sunday Telegraph. "That's an injury we usually see in footballers."

The height of heels has increased in recent years and they now range up to a staggering 17cm, while the average pair of heels now towers at 11cm, the Australia Associated Press reported.

The heels throw a woman's weight forward and dramatically increase the risk of overbalancing, especially on hard surfaces.