Investigating the effects of heeled shoe use by healthy women on gastrocnemius soleus muscle shortening, foot posture and balance

The objective of this study is to evaluate the frequency of use of heeled shoes by healthy individuals and to reveal the effects of the frequency of use, on foot posture and balance. In this study, 110 women between 18-50 years old are selected. For foot deformities such as pes planus, pes cavus, hallux vulgus, transvers arch ptosis, hammer finger, pes equinovarus Total Foot Deformity Score (TFDS) is used, for shortening in gastrocnemius soleus muscle manual muscle strength test is applied and for evaluating the balance Berg Balance Scale is taken into account. Measurements are repeated when the samples are wearing heeled shoe and when they are shoeless. According to the frequency of shoe use, those who use 1 or less heeled shoe per week are normal, while those who use 2 or more are divided into 2 groups as frequent wearers and the results are compared. As a result of the measurement, significant relationship between frequency of heeled shoe use and foot deformity, and between gastrocnemius soleus shortening and balance are not found (p>0,05). Group showed significant difference in itself, in terms of measurement made when wearing a shoe and when they are shoeless and also in forward bending test (p<0,05). The results obtained from this study shows that frequency of heeled shoe use does not cause foot deformities, gastrocnemius soleus shortening or deformation in static and dynamic balance. Keywords: Heeles Shoes, Balance, Foot Posture, Muscle Shortness