by V.L. Holme

Created on: November 30, 2008

Our society has developed a real love affair with shoes. Shoes that were often chosen for practical use and comfort are now being replaced with high heels that offer sleek lines and height. It's all about aesthetics and our feet pay the price. In fact, the shape of narrow fashion-forward heels doesn't fit most women's feet properly. And we all know what that suffering feels like. But surely we can't throw out our sexy stilettos for evening or our cute wedges for work. What we can do is consider our health and make better choices for our bodies.

What high heels can do to your feet

Your local Podiatrist is quite busy these days. Most of his business comes from women who wear high heeled shoes that cause misalignment in the joints of the foot and leg. High heels don't allow the foot to follow a normal rotation in walking. Instead, the foot is held in a slanted position, shortening the Achilles tendon. Over time this may result in enough damage to cause discomfort in flat shoes, so that the person is trapped into wearing heels all the time.

High heels cause increased pressure on the ball of the foot, which forces our backs to adjust so we don't fall flat onto the floor. But over time, that pressure causes increased strain on the knees and hips as compensation for the altered position of our feet. Hospitals see women coming in having "fallen off their shoes". The result is often a sprain.

Narrow shoe styles cause the toes to squish together and take on the shape of the shoe. Our feet never quite recover from this and may become stuck in this position. Friction then causes corns, blisters and callouses.

Let us not forget the ultimate sacrifice for looking good-the bunion. Bunions result from the big toe turning in-ward at the tip and outward at the base. The result is a bony hump at the base of the big toe. Bunions may require surgery in the form of a bunionectomy where bone is removed to create a better contour to the foot, or even fusion where the problem joint is fused into better alignment. It's painful and not something anyone would want to experience.

I have paid the ultimate price for fashion myself. In the 1980's, I wore those sleek black flats that went to a complete point at the toes (and are back in fashion again). These shoes doubled as protection and it's no wonder I didn't impale somebody with them. But I was bound and determined to fit in and continued to wear these shoes, even when my doctor warned me about them. I wore them daily during my pre-teens and

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