Effects of high-heeled shoes on lower extremity biomechanics and balance in females: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background High-heeled shoes (HHS) are widely worn by women in daily life. Limited quantitative studies have been conducted to investigate the biomechanical performance between wearing HHS and wearing flat shoes or barefoot. This study aimed to compare spatiotemporal parameters, kinematics, kinetics and muscle function during walking and balance between wearing HHS and flat shoes or barefoot. Methods According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, PubMed Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL Complete and Web of Science databases were searched from the earliest record to December 2021. A modified quality index was applied to evaluate the risk of bias, and effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals were calculated as the standardized mean differences (SMD). Potential publication bias was evaluated graphically using funnel plot and the robustness of the overall results was assessed using sensitivity analyses. Results Eighty-one studies (n = 1501 participants) were included in this study. The reduced area of support requires the body to establish a safer and more stable gait pattern by changing gait characteristics when walking in HHS compared with walking in flats shoes or barefoot. Walking in HHS has a slight effect on hip kinematics, with biomechanical changes and adaptations concentrated in the knee and foot–ankle complex. Females wearing HHS performed greater ground reaction forces earlier, accompanied by an anterior shift in plantar pressure compared with those wearing flat shoes/barefoot. Furthermore, large effect sizes indicate that wearing HHS resulted in poor static and dynamic balance. Conclusion Spatiotemporal, kinematic, kinetic and balance variables are affected by wearing HHS. The effect of specific heel heights on women’s biomechanics would benefit from further research.

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“…Another study emphasizes that wearing high-heeled shoes significantly affects lower extremity biomechanics and balance in females. This includes changes in gait characteristics, increased ground reaction forces, and poor static and dynamic balance compared to wearing flat shoes or being barefoot (Zeng et al, 2023). High heels force a plantar flexed foot position, leading to inefficient energy use and requiring muscular adaptations.…”