A telling typo: High Hell Shoes

A typographical error, like a Freudian slip, can sometimes reveal a hidden truth. An example — the phrase “high hell shoes” — appears in this medical study:

“,” Anna Mika, Łukasz Oleksy, Edyta Mikołajczyk, Anna Marchewka, Medical Rehabilitation, vol. 13, no. 3, 2009, pp. 1-10. The authors, at the University School of Physical Education in Cracow, and the The McKenzie Institute Poland, write:

Results: A statistically significant increase in erector spine activity was observed in Trunk Flexion and during Flexion-Relaxation Position when wearing high hell shoes….

Conclusion: The prolonged wearing of shoes with stiletto type low and high heels by individuals without back pain is not safe for their spine and may lead to chronic paraspinal muscle fatigue.

Here’s some visual detail from the study:

(Thanks to Aleksandra Przegalinska for bringing this to our attention.)