Plantar foot pressures during treadmill walking with high-heel and low-heel shoes.

The effect of walking with high-heel shoes on plantar foot pressure distribution was investigated. Ten normal women walking in shoes with low heels were compared to women walking in high-heel shoes. It was shown that high-heel shoes increased the load on the forefoot and relieved it on the hindfoot. The load passed toward the medial forefoot and the hallux. The lateral side of the forefoot showed a decrease in contact area, reduced forces, and peak pressures. The medial side of the forefoot had a higher force-time and pressure-time integral. It is suggested that these higher loads on the medial forefoot may aggravate symptoms in patients with hallux valgus deformity.