Foot injuries run high for women returning to work

Move over, Manolo Blahniks. The most popular shoe of the pandemic were comfortable, flat-soled sneakers. But now, as women march back to the office in high heels, podiatrists are seeing an uptick in foot pain and injuries, according to a report by Bloomberg.

A mainstay of the white-collar female worker, high heels are practically the uniform for those working in business sectors, or for those who attend conferences and other professional events, as the article points out.

As one podiatrist explains, two-plus years of forgoing the sleeker shoes has led to shin splints and plantar fasciitis, among other injuries. During the pandemic, lower levels of activity and going barefoot led to weakness and tightness of muscles and tendons, another doctor explained.

“The body doesn’t like any kind of abrupt change,” the former president of the New York State Podiatric Medical Association told Bloomberg. “Whenever you’re forced to do something all at once, suddenly you’re going back to the office, and now you’re wearing these shoes you haven’t worn in two years, that’s really like asking for trouble.”