Assessment of the High-heel Shoes Effect on Head Protrusion Angle

Purpose: Wearing high-heel shoes has become a habit among women of the present era. Statistics show that around 60% of women wear high-heel shoes at least thrice a week. High-heel shoes cause postural changes and damage body joints. The present study was conducted to assess the effect of high-heel shoes on the head protrusion angle. Methods: This study was conducted at University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. A simulated instrument to high-heel shoes was used in this research. Participants of this study were 25 healthy female students with the average (SD) age of 26.64 (3.86) y, average (SD) weight of 57.04 (7.06) kg, average (SD) height of 164.04 (5.76) cm, and average (SD) body mass index of 21.17 (2.14) kg/m2. A digital camera was used and fixed on a 1-m tripod at the distance of 2.40 m from the used instrument on the heel. A software (Corel VideoStudio ProX4) was used to get the pictures from the movie for each cm increase in heel height and 9 pictures were taken from 0 to 8 height points. AutoCAD 2012-English software was used to take measurements at 9 levels. Results: The obtained data and the correlation between variables were analyzed by using ANOVA. Statistical analysis showed a significant reduction in the head protrusion angle. Results also showed significant relationship (P<0.05) between heel height and study variables. Conclusion: The present study showed the relationship between reduction in head protrusion angle and increase in heel height.&nbsp;