Those who are fans of Anne Hathaway movies remember the scene in “The Devil Wears Prada” where Hathaway’s character is opposed to don some Italian leather slingback pumps until she is coerced into doing so. In fact, there are many businesses where women are encouraged to wear high heels in order to maintain the motif of a particular establishment.
Indeed, heels can be uncomfortable, but many people may not be aware of the long-term injuries that can occur from constantly wearing heels. In fact, it may be possible for an employee to suffer repetitive stress injuries, and injuries stemming from wearing heels may be no different.
After all, according to the American Osteopathic Association, wearing heels for long periods of time each day can lead to osteoarthritis of the knee, low back pain as well as arthritis.
Given these possible injuries, and the obligation that employers have to ensure safe workspaces, rules requiring women to wear heels may lead to significant legal challenges. Not only may such rules be considered sexist, they may lead to discrimination challenges in addition to workers compensation claims.
Aside from, high heel injuries, repetitive stress injuries are notoriously difficult cases because of how different they may manifest themselves from person to person. Because of this, workers comp claims based on these injuries require the guidance and expertise of an experienced attorney. If you believe that tough, repetitive work has led to your injuries, having a conversation with a workers compensation attorney should be your first step.
The preceding is for informational purposes and is not legal advice.
