We’ve all heard of the phrase ‘beauty is pain’, but could you shoes be destroying your feet?? The answer is Yes! Here are my 5 top shocking shoes……

• The higher they are – the further you fall! Or roll….. Ankle sprains and nasty fractures often result from a lateral roll of the ankle when wearing heels. The heel height alone puts extra stress on the ball of the foot (see pic above) and shortens the achilles tendon. In fact, some women who have been wearing heels for a long period of time find it hard to get their heel to the ground when not wearing heels! Thats some serious foot fauxpas! The solution? Go low….. the lower the heel the more natural the foot position.
• Beware the stiletto heel! Pinpoint heels a have a smaller the base of support and result in a greater chance of you wobbling around like a baby giraffe on stilts! What this means is that there is much more of a chance of tripping, rolling or slipping! The solution? Opt for a more chunky heel which will better distribute your weight.
• The next type of dangerous shoe is the pointy toe heel! Not only do you have to deal with the effect of the heel – the triangle shape of it forces your forefoot into an unnatural position and can result in the development of unsightly bunions! (see pic above). The solution? Pick a heel with enough space for your forefoot – or at the very least one which goes triangle shaped after your toe line!
• On the flip side of the stiletto you also need to watch out for the completely flat shoe. Those are the ones with zero arch support. This covers the ballet flats and the thongs (or flip flops for the British). The lack of support here makes your foot quite vulnerable to developing plantar fasciitis – a painful condition involving inflammation and sometimes tearing of the connective tissue underneath your arch. So if you opt for these type shoes – make sure you add some support (ie in the form of an orthotic or a thong with some built in arch support).
• The final shoe I’ll ruin for you is the hard soled wedge! Although these offer a much nicer support base – the rigidity of the wedge can restrict normal movement of the foot. Try to choose a wedge with a little flexibility to counter this.

So when all is said and done…. most of the shoes that look amazing on the catwalk are not so amazing for your feet. As I said earlier… beauty is pain so choose your shoes wisely! Wearing these not very sensible but ever so sexy shoes will not do too much damage if worn in the short term. In saying that you need to be aware of long term use and day to day poor footwear choices! Your feet will thank you for it……