Though we all wish to have been taller and elegant, the sense of style is by all means a ritual of channels. With this, I’m afraid, but it’s no longer a secret that one may prefer sacrificing her health in the name of fashion.

High-heeled shoes are every trendy woman’s passion. You love shopping for them, and probably fill up your shoe-rack with different colours. Heels are a must footwear, which creates a sense of style and enhances the mood of the wearer as well as self-esteem.

In 2009, we can also witness the high demand for high heeled footwear becoming greater compared to the previous years. Some women and girls have now turned to wearing super-high heels, and unfortunately the developing trend can easily prove hazardous to the wearer’s health.

Today, high-heels are typically worn by both genders, although initially the trend was exclusively a thing for girls and women. However, there are shoe designs worn by both genders that have elevated heels, including cowboy boots. Such shoes embraced by celebrities and stylish men, normally for aesthetic reasons or height and coolness.

According to 25-year-old Sandra Uwase, the trend of high heels today is every woman’s dream.

Uwase, a student at the National University of Rwanda (NUR) says she is obsessed by the trend and that her love for height makes her feel comfortable and stylish.

"I feel comfortable in high-heeled shoes. And because I’m short, whenever I wear flats, I get a complex and I somehow feel like I’m not a lady enough,” says Uwase.

However, despite all the hidden health hazards, the trend is on high demand, and women still continue to endure the discomfort of high-heels in the name of being fashionable. The power of the super high heeled shoes is it also has a slimming effect on your body.

"Their demand is high, and a big number of girls and women flock to the boutiques and stores in search for such shoes,” says John Mucyo, a shop assistant of Top 10 boutique, in Remera.

Everest Kayitare, a specialist in physiotherapy says super highs should be banned from the markets, because they are harmful to the wearer’s health.

Kayitare also says wearing high footwear can lead to health problems like: Lumbar (low-back) spine flattening and a posterior (backward) displacement of the head and thoracic (mid-back) spine.

"High heeled shoes can lead the wearer to lean forward and the body’s response to that is to decrease the forward curve of your lower back to help keep you in line. Poor alignment may lead to muscle overuse and back pain,” says Kayitare.

Others problems that might also affect the wear’s health include: hammertoe, bunions and pinched nerves in the feet. Damaging the lining of the spine code, and causing lumber loreosis among others.

Perhaps you consider your high heels an essential part of who you are, and the idea of giving up is more than you can bear. Do you have to give up your high heels? Not entirely, according to health experts.

Pregnant women are discouraged from wearing high heels due to their delicate health, says one Dr. Janvier, at King Faisal hospital.

"Such shoes can cause damage to the hip flexor muscles located on the upper front part of your thighs, which may lead to severe pain and complications during child birth.” Whatever your style maybe, it’s always important to be keen about your health to avoid long-team health problems.

Today, the love for fashion due to the celebrity influence is dominating the fashion industry. The trend is spreading very fast: from Europe, Asia and now in Africa.

However, some women claim that high heeled shoes make them so uncomfortable whenever they walk and very painful when they stand for long.

"Call me unfashionable or strange but I can’t stand high-heels. I’m not that tall or short, but I prefer flats,” says Justine Uwamwezi, 35, a teacher.

One reason why most women will die for heels, despite the associated problems, is because they make them look taller and elegant.

Super heels are normally worn on informal and formal occasions: parties and night-outs. These are good occasions for every lady to wear heels, because they create an air of feminine authority and visual height.

It is also believed that heels change the entire posture of the wearer. While wearing high heels, a woman’s curves are more pronounced because of the positions of her derriere and chest. She also walks differently, with her hips moving gracefully.

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