Osteopathic Research Web

The Effects of High Heeled Shoes on the Cervical Spine

Item

Title

The Effects of High Heeled Shoes on the Cervical Spine

Author(s)

Cartwright Louise

Abstract

Background: The effects of high heeled shoes on the lumbar spine have been continuously researched. Little research has been performed looking at the direct relationship between the curvature changes in the cervical spine in relation to wearing high heeled shoes. Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the adaptation of the cervical spine from bare foot stance to high heeled stance. Design: A repeated measures design was used using an experimental group of 49 female participants following a pilot study using 10 participants. Subjects: 49 female volunteers from the staff and student population from the British School of Osteopathy were recruited for this study. Consent was gained and all participants were blinded to the outcome measures. Measurements: The cervical lordosis was repeatedly measured in barefoot stance (BF), low heel stance (LH), mid heel stance (MH) and high heel stance (HH). The cervical curvature was measured digitally using markers on anatomical landmarks including the nasion, inion (occipital protuberance) and cervical/thoracic junction (C/T). Results: No strong correlation could be established that high heeled shoes increase the cervical lordosis. There appears to be some evidence that high heeled shoes initially decrease the cervical lordosis from BF stance to HH stance. However, the results of this study are inconclusive and further research is required into this subject. Conclusions: There is no strong evidence to conclude that high heeled shoes cause a change in the cervical lordosis. However, high heel shoes do cause the whole body posture to adapt and to maintain normal spinal curvature in relation to the body’s centre of gravity (COG) minimising stress within the spinal tissues.

Abstract

Background: The effects of high heeled shoes on the lumbar spine have been continuously researched. Little research has been performed looking at the direct relationship between the curvature changes in the cervical spine in relation to wearing high heeled shoes. Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the adaptation of the cervical spine from bare foot stance to high heeled stance. Design: A repeated measures design was used using an experimental group of 49 female participants following a pilot study using 10 participants. Subjects: 49 female volunteers from the staff and student population from the British School of Osteopathy were recruited for this study. Consent was gained and all participants were blinded to the outcome measures. Measurements: The cervical lordosis was repeatedly measured in barefoot stance (BF), low heel stance (LH), mid heel stance (MH) and high heel stance (HH). The cervical curvature was measured digitally using markers on anatomical landmarks including the nasion, inion (occipital protuberance) and cervical/thoracic junction (C/T). Results: No strong correlation could be established that high heeled shoes increase the cervical lordosis. There appears to be some evidence that high heeled shoes initially decrease the cervical lordosis from BF stance to HH stance. However, the results of this study are inconclusive and further research is required into this subject. Conclusions: There is no strong evidence to conclude that high heeled shoes cause a change in the cervical lordosis. However, high heel shoes do cause the whole body posture to adapt and to maintain normal spinal curvature in relation to the body’s centre of gravity (COG) minimising stress within the spinal tissues.

presented at

British School of Osteopathy

Date Accepted

2010

Date Submitted

31.5.2011 00:00:00

Type

osteo_thesis

Language

English

Pub-Identifier

14943

Inst-Identifier

780

Keywords

High-heeled shoes, cervical spine, neck pain, back pain, posture and gait

Recommended

0

Item sets

Thesis

Cartwright Louise, “The Effects of High Heeled Shoes on the Cervical Spine”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 2, 2025, https://www.osteopathic-research.com/s/orw/item/1809