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Shoe lust may cause lifelong problems

Posted at 5:53 PM, Jul 17, 2014
and last updated 2014-07-17 17:53:56-04

High heels have long been a fashion staple, and while they may look good, what they can do to your body is not so good.

When most women put on a pair of high heels they're thinking about fashion and not their feet. But women's shoes can cause health problems.

Women seem to love their high heels

"You can't go to a party without heels that just makes your outfit the shoes,” said one heel fan.

High heels may look good, but what they're doing to ladies feet is anything but pretty.

"High heels can cause stress fractures; tendonitis, all types of bone spurs, and encourage bunion and hammertoe formation,” said Dr. Jacqueline Sutera, who specializes in podiatric medicine and surgery.

“It happens everyday that patients come in to my office with these problems."

It can also affect other parts of the body.

"When the body weight goes to the ball of your foot, the whole skeleton really has to compensate, so the knees and hips jet forward and then your back has to hyper extend backwards. This completely mal-aligns not just your foot, but the entire skeleton,” Dr. Sutera said.

This could lead to arthritis, long term pain, and joint pain.

Still most women don't want to give up their shoe lust.

"I’m 32 years old and I’m bunion free and I’ve been wearing heels my whole life so I’m going to still rock them."

The American Podiatric Medical Association recommends that women wear heels no higher than two inches.

So the best solution may be to wear heels in moderation and pack a pair of flats.