title: Implications of high-heeled shoes on body posture of adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review studies regarding effects of high-heeled shoes on body posture of adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research was conducted in the Scopus, SciELO and PubMed databases between 1980 and 2011, searching for articles written in English and Portuguese with the following key-words: "posture", "center of gravity", and "high-heeled shoes". Among 55 retrieved articles, 20 were analyzed regarding posture of the spine and lower limbs, the center of gravity, and the effects of high-heeled shoes in the musculoskeletal system in adolescents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Frequent use of high-heeled shoes leads to modification of the gravity center and body balance, which can lead to changes in the alignment of body segments. This has a negative impact on motor development of adolescents. In this phase, it is necessary to keep the posture in order to maintain the physiological growth and development of the musculoskeletal system.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-heeled shoes in adolescents can lead to the development of postural disorders, among which stands out the forward head posture, lumbar hyperlordosis, pelvic anteversion, and knee valgus. The height and width of the heels are characteristics that exert most influence in the emergence of postural changes and body imbalance.
authors.affiliation: Departamento Materno-Infantil e de Fisioterapia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Anniele Martins
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Gisela Rocha
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: de Siqueira
authors.forename: Giselia Alves P
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: da Silva
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006112:Gravitation; D006801:Humans; D011187:Posture; D012775:Shoes