For any fashion icon worth their salt, choosing the right footwear is clearly important.
But after breaking her left foot in a gym accident in February, Victoria Beckham had to abandon her usual stilettos in favor of something more prosaic: namely, a medical “walker” boot.
He was still wearing it ten days ago and posted a photo on social media doing an upper-body workout in a gym with his damaged foot still strapped in, although shortly after, when he celebrated his 50th birthday, he had ditched it for crutches. instead.
Other celebrities recently seen in medical boots include Coleen Rooney, Rebekah Vardy and Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood, who currently wears one on each foot following surgery to “flatten” his “smashed” toes.
Assembled in two pieces, the boot immobilizes the joints to allow fractures to heal in the correct position, while allowing movement that cannot be achieved with a traditional cast.
After breaking her left foot in a gym accident in February, Victoria Beckham had to abandon her usual stilettos in favor of something more prosaic: namely, a medical “walker” boot, but they can cause more harm than good if worn. use for too long. experts warn
Regular use of boots for more than six weeks can cause bone weakness, joint stiffness, muscle atrophy and back pain. Pictured: Coleen Rooney wearing one in 2022
Medical walking boots tend to be used for injuries caused by Lower the shin down, fitting tightly around the leg, either with Velcro or with airbags that They are inflated by hand to cushion the injury.
But as they become increasingly accessible (available online for around £100), experts worry that some are embracing them too enthusiastically, not only using them for recovery, like Victoria Beckham, but They continue to use them. intermittently for months, or even years in some cases.
However, regular use of the boots for more than six weeks can cause bone weakness, joint stiffness, muscle atrophy and back pain.
“It can be a problem as patients can become overly reliant on the boot,” says Shelain Patel, a consultant orthopedic surgeon at the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital and Princess Grace Hospital, both in London.
‘They feel more secure with the support and don’t want to stop using it because they fear the healing bone will be vulnerable.
‘I have known patients who use it every day, even at work, after a fracture.
“Because it’s more comfortable for them to walk, they stay there for years, only to discover that it’s the only thing they can use,” he told Good Health.
This is because overuse can cause the tendons and muscles in the foot and shin to become less flexible and stiffer due to lack of use.
So when the user puts on normal shoes, even walking can be painful and difficult due to movement restriction.
The main function of the walker boot is to keep weight or load off the joints after an injury, such as a fracture, to aid the healing process, explains Sam Singh, consultant orthopedic surgeon at HCA London Bridge.
“It is designed to help you move more easily than with crutches while the injury heals.”
It also acts as a visible deterrent, letting others know to be careful when approaching you.
“But it should not be used as a long-term substitute for shoes,” adds Mr Singh. “It’s not something you can walk miles for.”
The boots are widely used in the NHS, but one problem is that patients can wait a long time for a follow-up appointment, so they continue to wear them in the meantime.
“The point of a cast is that it keeps the joints still, while the benefit of a boot is that it allows the person to move much more easily than with crutches and, unlike a cast, it can be removed when you want to take a shower or “Go to bed,” says Tim Allardyce, physiotherapist at Surrey Physio.
So how long are hiking boots safe to wear?
On average, boots should not be worn for more than six weeks, says Jamie Arbuthnot, consultant knee surgeon at University Hospitals Birmingham.
“Most adults’ bones regain about 80 percent of their original strength within six weeks and are therefore usually strong enough to wear softer standard shoes.
‘Wearing the boot for longer periods of time is also not good for the cartilage [the protective tissue between joints].
‘If you don’t move the joint correctly [when the boot is on]The cartilage can break down, causing osteoarthritis or even fusion of the joints, which can be permanent.’
And it’s not just wearing them for too long that can be a problem, says Singh.
“Another problem is that boots have thick soles and can change the way you walk if you don’t wear a shoe of the same height on the other foot.”
When this happens, your body will lean to one side and other joints will have to compensate for this unnatural position, putting pressure on your back and hips and causing pain, he explains.
A study involving 46 patients wearing a “controlled ankle motion” walking boot for a lower extremity injury found that 67 percent reported new or worsening pain two weeks or more after first wearing it ; The pain most commonly affected the back, hip and knee.
What’s more, a third of the patients still felt pain three months after stopping using the boot.
However, prolonged use of the boot, which takes that pressure off the bones, can cause “disuse” osteopenia, where the bones become thin and weak. Pictured: Jenni Falconer wore a walker boot in 2020
The authors of the study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in 2018, concluded that it is “common” for people to develop aches and pains as a result of wearing a boot.
To avoid this, look in the mirror with the boot on and then choose a shoe for the other foot that matches the height of the boot; You will be able to know what the correct height is if there is no inclination for the pelvis.
Another problem is the effect on bone strength: we need to put pressure on the bone so that old cells are broken down and new ones are created.
However, prolonged use of the boot, which takes that pressure off the bones, can cause “disuse” osteopenia, where the bones become thin and weak.
“If you already have low bone density, for example if you are post-menopausal, your bones can become even weaker,” says Mr Singh.
A quick look online reveals that the boots can be purchased for between £100 and £200, but it’s much better to have them fitted by a doctor or physiotherapist than to pick one up at random online.
As Mr Patel points out: “If you have, for example, a big foot or a thin leg, it’s easy for them to mismatch.”
Guidance from a doctor or physical therapist can also ensure that the air bags that are manually inflated in some types of boots to hold the damaged joint in place are not overfilled, which can restrict movement and cause skin irritation.
Above all, experts say, be sure to get out of the trunk as quickly as possible.
“As a general rule, once you can bear weight through your foot, you no longer need the boot, depending on the type of fracture,” says Tim Allardyce.
The trick is to quit little by little. Maybe take it off and start walking around the house and then around the garden.
‘You should also work with a physical therapist who will give you mobilization exercises to get your joints moving again, such as bending your foot back and forth or doing ankle circles.
“You want to get out of the trunk, not overload it.”
