I “heart” my pelvic floor

Stiletto” Definition: A short knife or dagger with a long slender blade of various designs primarily used as a stabbing weapon. Its narrow shape, ending in a rigid pointed end, allows it to penetrate deeply.

This morning you picked shoes that best matched your outfit.  You know…the pair that makes you feel taller, thinner, and just a little more fantastic than you did before you got dressed.  But, what if I told you that the footwear you selected not only affected your inner fashionista, but also impacted the nerves in your feet, the pain in your arch, the ability to balance as you get older, your bladder control, and get this…your bone density.  You may be struggling with health issues that you didn’t even realize were related to what you wear on your feet.  How you feel may be a result of the accumulated, daily affect of footwear!

I’m writing this for the twenty-five percent of women currently suffering from debilitating foot pain right this minute, the eighty (!) percent of women suffering from Pelvic Floor Disorder, and the millions of women realizing they have lost a substantial amount of bone mineral density.  This also for the woman interested in preventing or treating the failure of the structures most often injured in women: the pelvic floor, the bony skeleton, and the foot.  The staggering facts show that hundreds of millions of women have not one, but two or more of these issues—with the number of consumer dollars being spent in search of a solution adding up to BILLIONS.

I’ll let you in on a secret.  Research* on footwear shows that for every one degree of heel you wear, there is one degree of spine vertebrae, hip joint, or knee joint reaction.  A one-inch high shoe (that’s not even a high heel, more like a man’s shoe or a good walking shoe) is 20°!  That little inch can be increasing the wear on your joint cartilage, be contributing to disk degeneration, and absolutely be decreasing the weight-bearing status of your bones.

So, what are we going to DO about it?

I’m teaching a three week course in your living room, your bed room, or your home office – you pick.  I’ll walk you through three weeks of WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT that is safe and easy to follow.  I encourage you to attend.  I encourage you to tell a friend.  Women are making health hard for each other, and it needs to stop…now!  For webinar details, click here.

*The Effect of Heel Height on Gait and Posture: A Review of the Literature
Cowley et al. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc.2009; 99: 512-518
Emma E. Cowley, MSc, Thierry L. Chevalier, BSc,and Nachiappan Chockalingam, PhD

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Written by Katy on January 5, 2010

5 Responses to “I “heart” my pelvic floor”

  • Excellent intro to what I believe every woman needs to know! Looking forward to the webinar.

  • whoa- that’s pretty powerful. Every single woman and professional who helps them should “attend” the webinar.

  • Katy~

    My father has referred you patients in the past and has all very good things to say about you! I thoroughly agree w/ your blog today and will be using it to educate others in my practice. Thank you for your obvious diligence and drive to educate our community on such basic yet needed topics!

    Press On!!

    Yours in Better Health,
    Dr. Carisa

  • Hi Ms. Katy!

    We are Industrial Engineering students from De La Salle University – Manila, Philippines and we are currently taking up our thesis regarding high heels and foot. Do you by chance, happened to have a copy of the research you cited entitled, ” The Effect of Heel Height on Gait and Posture: A Review of the Literature”? If so, will you be able to share us a copy? We really feel that this article would be very beneficial to our current research. Looking forward to your kind consideration!

    Thank you,
    Zaela Javellana
    Margarette Joquico
    Tamie Tiu

  • Hello Zaela, Margarette, and Tamie. I do have a copy…sitting right here in front of me! How should I get that to you? Ok, I will come visit if you insist :)
    Or, you can download a copy for yourself: http://www.japmaonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/99/6/512
    Good luck! Make sure you put my name in your paper OR at least send me a copy, would you? And, I’d be happy to offer any extra assistance if you need!

    Be happy and healthy,
    Katy

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