21 Tips To Surviving High Heel Shoes: Part 1

We all have them, those adorable, had-to-buy-them, high heel shoes hiding in our closet. In fact, many of us have hundreds of pairs! They are torture devices made by men for women because they make our butts look good. We also like the way they make us feel tall, in charge, and yes, sexy! High heeled shoes are seen as a career woman's six-gun, but what are we doing to our feet?

High heeled shoes have been linked to many foot ailments like bunions, hammer toes, neuromas, metatarsalgia, Achilles tendonitis, ingrown toenails, and corn and calluses. Chronic knee pain and back pain can also be linked to high heeled shoes. Is this the price we have to pay for cute shoes? What is a fashion conscious woman to do?

As a podiatrist, I see twenty-something-year old women every day complaining of pain in their feet. Often, they attribute their pain to their exercise regimen or running shoes. After a thorough history examining their pain, we often realize that the shoes they run in are not the problem. It's the shoes they wear to work everyday.

Wearing high heels changes the biomechanics of walking and can have an impact on the entire structure of the foot and the relationship of the knee to the ankle, as well as your lower back. But there are steps (so to speak) you can take to minimize the damage from your killer heels!

Let's start the list of tips...I'll update very day until we get to 21!

1.Buy shoes that fit! Sounds like a no-brainer, but most women wear shoes at least a half a size too small. Measure your feet every time you buy shoes, even just a few extra pounds can make your shoe size larger. Remember that the number is just a suggestion, different brands can size completely differently.

More tomorrow....