What Not To Wear To The Holiday Party This Year (And Why It Causes Back Pain)

Most people have their holiday parties booked very soon (if they haven’t already had them), and it’s something that might help you out.

And if you’re anything like most women, you’ve already got your Christmas party outfit planned.

Well, so did one of our patients who came to see us this week…

Claire is a regular patient at Intecore Physical Therapy who came to see me with back pain after her work’s party. Claire is a teacher, so she’s on her feet most of the day, and because of this, she usually wears flat shoes to stay comfortable.

This year Claire decided to treat herself to a new pair of heels for the holiday party – she was prepared to deal with the awful, aching feet feeling the next morning, but she wasn’t expecting to have to deal with terrible back pain because of them too.

Why would she? The first thing you think of when it comes to heels (apart from how good you’re going to look in them) is aching feet, not an aching back.

When Claire woke up the morning after the party she was in pain. Pain so bad that her husband had to help lift her out of bed and put her shoes on. Not only that, she struggled so much with an aching back all week, that even driving became difficult.

So, why did wearing a pair of heels cause Claire so much back pain the following day and week?

Here’s why – High heels increase the pressure on your back by about 25 times. They can alter the way you walk, and can even lead to bad posture – which causes your back pain.

Now I know it’s tempting to slip on a pair of heels (and I’m not saying to avoid them all night completely) although if you choose a softly cushioned pair of shoes instead, your lower back will experience 25 times less pressure and force placed upon it.

Which has got to be better than waking up the next day with a bad back and walking around in agony for a week, wouldn’t you agree?

Not only that, but add all of the dancing that you do at holiday parties – do you really want to put that much strain on your lower back each time you place your foot on the ground?

That’s exactly what happened to Claire and it’s why she ended up coming to see us this past week.

So, this year, why not swap your high heels for a pair of well-fitted, cushioned flats. Heels might look good – but is it really worth all that lower back pain?

P.S. If you’re suffering from back pain and don’t want it to get in the way of enjoying family time this Christmas, here’s a free special report with 9 quick easy ways to live with less back pain – you can download it free instantly when you go here: FREE Tips to Help Low Back Pain

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Andrew Vertson

Andrew received his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from California State University, Fresno in 1991. He then earned his Master’s degree of Physical Therapy in 1996 and his Doctorate degree of Physical Therapy in 2002 from Loma Linda University. In 1996 he also earned his Certification as an Athletic Trainer. He has also completed extensive post-graduate course work in orthopedic manual therapy through Kaiser-West Los Angeles and the Ola Grimsby Institute.

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