Is the sky really the limit?

Who said Accra was not sweet? This was the comment a taxi driver made many years ago as we discussed rural urban migration. The meaning of this statement was revealed to me many Saturdays later. One Saturday, during my brief stopover at the infamous Accra Mall; which has become Accra's hotspot, I saw a sight to behold! My first step toward the entrance was enough to keep me wondering why no one informed me of the early staging of next year's Ghana Music awards!

Two young ladies, likely in their early twenties cat walked in their high waist skirts and chic blouses; complemented neatly by their colored spiked hairdos. One had both hands cemented in her pockets. One striking accessory which stood out in the fashion show was the brightly colored high heels which propelled them into a world of their own. If only Amegashie my petite carpenter and friend who always insisted on risk allowance before commencing work was around, I bet I would have paid him to take accurate measurements of those fashionable heels! Four inches above ground level for those heels would be an understatement!

These sassy ladies were a sight to behold; their natural traffic direction abilities set them apart from the rest. They moved one foot at a time, with a grace the queen of England would envy. Who says Accra is not sweet; nicely dressed people, delicious bread (any way, have you ever wondered why all Ghanaian foods are starchy?), nice cars, restaurants, expensive clothes, you name it. I swiftly filed past them and made my way towards the objective for my stopover-to buy bread! Why do I have to slow March behind a pair who are determined to reach the sky; four inches at a time? “Nokofio ni gbomo baa ye” (man's modest quest for survival)!

That night, I couldn't help but wonder; do those ladies and for that matter, all ladies out there who crave high heels in huge lengths at every little opportunity know the consequences of their fashionable actions? Frequent wearing of high heels for longer periods has been proven to cause distortions in posture and the spine. It is believed that wearing high heels improves a female's sex appeal. It is a fact the wearing high heels makes the bottom stand out, the wearer becomes taller, and the arch of the lower back deepens. However this is where the problem lies! This puts a strain on the lower back muscles, makes the spine vulnerable, misaligns the spine, and obstructs nerve flow. Not to talk of a host of other challenges habitual high heel wearers would have to deal with.

An obstructed nerve flow is all it takes to initiate a subtle degeneration of the body! Organs begin to malfunction because of lack of signals from the brain and symptoms become abundant.

Its time you relinquished your die hard habit of always showing up in those high heels. You might be killing yourself softly in your bid to reach for the sky four inches at a time! The sky is not always the limit! You do not need to be way above ground level to make a fashion statement which would ultimately prove deadly and costly. Research on lower heeled, trendy, and classy shoes if you can; however if you can't, then as much as possible minimize the number of times you wear high heels. Being creative about healthy shoes to wear is all you need. Who said the sky is the limit?

Credit: Henrietta Aba Lartey
The Chiropractic and Wellness Centres
[Email: [email protected]]