The Price of Glamour >> High Heel Health Risks

Face it. Feet aren't meant to be propped in stilettos. Heels over two inches affect the natural way you walk. A heel higher than three inches puts seven times the pressure on the ball of your foot and can harm the bones.

Yet, according to a study by the American Podiatric Medical Association, 39 percent of women wear high heels every day. And within this group, nearly three out of four reported having a shoe-related foot problem.

The price of glamour
It's true that stylish high heels can make you look taller, flatter your legs and give you a chic appearance. But they also are notorious for harming women's feet.

• Blisters, corns or calluses can develop when high heels throw weight into the ball of your foot.
• Lower back pain can result when your spine bends backwards to compensate the forward push of your body when you walk in heels.
• Pain in the ball of your foot, a condition called metatarsalgia, can stem from high heels.
• Ankle sprains are more likely because your foot position in heels and the often-narrow heel width can make ankles unstable.
• Achilles tendonitis is a risk. Frequent wearing of heels shortens and tightens calf muscles. This can lead to painful inflammation of the Achilles tendon at the back of your heel.
• Benign tumors of nerves, called neuromas, can grow between toes. Symptoms may include sharp pain and tingling or numbness of the toes.
• "Pump bump," or Hagland's deformity, has been linked to women who often wear high heels. This painful bump on the back of the heel bone occurs when the bone rubs against the shoe or a narrow, pointed shoe makes toes curl up.

Wearing heels all the time can even make wearing flats impossible if your foot becomes used to the position of heels. This can lead to more serious problems, like bone spurs or Achilles tendon tears.