其实一直以来，女性都知道高跟鞋除了能带给我们美丽这样的好处之外别无其他，众多的反面新闻并不能使我们放弃这女人的法宝。但是也许我们至少应该知道我们所付出的代价。

    A pair of high heels can be a great addition to any woman's wardrobe. They can spice up an otherwise casual outfit, they can add a touch of femininity to stiff business attire and they can be the perfect punctuation for a spectacularly glamorous ensemble. But as any pump-sporting woman can attest, heels may also become the source of much grief if care is not taken.

    It is important to note that no matter how fabulous they are, heels that are too high are never a good idea. The ideal heel height for every woman with healthy feet is 2.5 inches. By wearing heels over three inches for extended periods of time, we're doing our feet major injustices. Super high heels are very impractical, and with the damage they do, wearing them might even be described as modern-day foot binding! When up on heels that high, the angle of incline is too steep, which offsets the foot's natural balance, disrupts your gait and puts undue pressure on the weight-bearing joints all through the lower part of your body.

    Knowing how to wear high heels requires some understanding of the feet. Women should be able to identify the type of foot they have, whether it be flat, high arched, wide or narrow, and should make use of this information when shoe shopping. The way to determine what type of foot you have is to analyze your footprints. Wet your foot and step onto a white piece of paper. If there is no visible arch – that is, if your whole foot is visible in the footprint – then you have a flat foot. If there is a slight "C" shape in the print where your arch should be, then you have a medium arch in your foot. The bigger the "C" in the footprint, the higher your arch. If all that is visible is the front of your foot and the back of the heel, then you have a really high-arched foot.

    Some characteristics of the perfect high heel are the same across the board, but each type of foot requires a slightly different shoe feature to ensure the most comfort. If you have high-arched feet, stay away from heels that offer little or no arch support. A high-arched foot puts more pressure on the balls of the feet, so finding heels with sufficient cushioning in that area is imperative. Low-arched, flat or pronated feet should look for shoes with firm, durable heels. Cushioning under the balls of the feet is still really important for women with low arches, as each step we take forces our foot to bear pressure equivalent to three times our own body weight!

    Even with knowledge of the right kind of shoes for their feet, there are some women who should never, ever wear high heels. Anyone for whom stability is an issue should not be standing more than an inch off the ground. Weak ankles on even two inches present risks for serious injury. A cute pair of kitten heels or a pair of flats with the right amount of arch support is a much safer bet.

    If you are still wearing the wrong shoes, the negative effects may not show immediately, but over time you will see the results of wearing incorrect shoes. If you have high-arched feet that aren't getting the arch support they need, you may end up with plantar fasciitis, heel spurs and pain under the balls of the foot. Wearing shoes with no support when you've got flat feet – for example, flip flops, flats – will further flatten and even widen your feet. And remember: Tight shoes can aggravate already existing abnormalities, like bunions and hammertoes.

    If you're going to insist upon wearing the shoes you like despite what they may do to your feet, be sure to purchase inserts that will provide cushioning under the balls of your feet. Gel inserts are a good start, but Foot Petals are great for helping with those sexy heels.

    Part of understanding what kind of feet you have is knowing why, even after buying the right shoes for your feet, you're unable to strut in them for longer than two hours – while others seem to effortlessly last a whole day. Individual biomechanics and the condition of your feet play a major part in that. Any foot abnormalities – bunions, hammertoes, corns, etc. – will become irritated in certain shoes, and this irritation increases the need to remove the shoe after a short while. Previous injuries may exaggerate the pressure felt from wearing heels, and aching knees or hips will limit the amount of time spent up on heels. Age also affects how long a woman can wear heels. Younger women have more pliable bones, and can accommodate the shape of their shoes more readily than the more rigid feet of their older counterparts, therefore experiencing less pain in a short span of time.

    Even the most careful heel wearer may experience some discomfort at the end of the day. Foot baths are the nightly remedy for feet feeling a little pain after a day in heels. Soak your feet in chamomile tea, Epsom salt and lavender for about ten minutes in order to reduce any swelling. After the foot bath, massage your feet with a mentholated cream in order to encourage blood circulation and pain relief.

    每个女人的衣柜里都应该有一双高跟鞋。他们可以是超级性感的或则是休闲款式的，他们可以为呆板的职业装添上一抹女人味，他们也是华丽迷人的女士套装的点睛之笔。但是经常穿高跟鞋的女人可以作证，如果不仔细呵护，高跟鞋也会引起许多悲痛。值得注意的是，不管高跟鞋多么好看，跟太高的鞋子绝对不是一个好的选择。为了保持足部健康，鞋跟的理想高度是2.5英寸（约为6.5厘米-译注）.如果长时间穿鞋跟高于3英寸的鞋子，我们的脚就要受到伤害了。超高的高跟鞋是非常不实用的，鉴于他们对脚部的伤害，堪称为现代的裹脚布。当穿上那么高的鞋子后，倾斜角度太大，就使得足部的自然平衡受到影响，步态变得不稳，身体下部的所有负重关节都承受了过大的压力。

    要学会正确穿高跟鞋，就需要多多了解自己的足部。女人们应该学会辨认自己的脚的类型：扁平足、足弓过高、脚背宽或窄，并且在购买鞋子的时候应该充分考虑以上因素。要辨认自己脚的类型，就要分析自己的足印。把脚打湿，然后踩在一张白纸上。如果没有清晰的足弓--也就是说，如果脚印上显示出了你全部的脚--那么你就是扁平足了。如果脚印上足弓处有一个轻微的"C"形状，那么你有一个中等高度的足弓。脚印上的"C"越大，足弓就越高。如果脚印上只有脚的前半部和后面的脚跟部，那么你就是足弓过高了。

    大体上，所有好看的高跟鞋都有同样的特质，但要达到最舒服的状态，还是要根据不同的脚类型来选择不同的鞋子。如果你足弓过高，就要远离那些在足弓处完全没有支撑或支撑甚微的高跟鞋。足弓过高的脚通常把压力转移至脚掌，因此，找到一双在脚掌部位加有足够软垫的高跟鞋就很至关重要了。足弓过低、扁平足或是内旋的脚都应该选择鞋跟坚固耐牢的鞋子。对足弓过低的女人来说，脚掌处置放软垫也很重要，我们每走一步，脚部要承受的重量是自身体重的三倍！

    即使是知道了如何选择正确的高跟鞋，还是有些女人最好永远都不要碰高跟鞋。天生走不稳的人不应该穿高于地面1英寸的鞋子。脚踝脆弱的人即使穿2英寸的高跟鞋也容易引起严重的伤害。一双可爱的小高跟或一双足弓有足够支撑的平跟鞋是不错的选择。如果你还穿着不合脚的鞋子，负面影响可能暂时不会显现出来，但久而久之，穿不合脚的鞋子的恶果就跑出来作祟了。如果你足弓过高并且没有得到足够的支撑，可能会得足底筋膜炎、跟部刺激和脚掌疼痛。如果你是扁平足还穿没有支撑的鞋子--如拖鞋、平底鞋--会使脚更加扁平，甚至使脚变宽。记住：过紧的鞋子会加重脚部畸形，像姆囊炎肿和槌状脚趾。

    ,那么一定要选购可以为脚掌提供支撑的软垫。凝胶鞋垫是个不错的选择，但穿性感高跟鞋时，能选花瓣垫底就更好了。要完全了解自己的足类型，还要知道为什么在看似买了正确的鞋子后还是不能穿上走两个小时以上--可明明人家轻轻松松就可以走一整天。这是因为个体生物力学和足部情况差异在其中起了很重要的作用。任何的脚部畸形--姆囊炎肿、槌状脚趾、鸡眼等--在穿上某些鞋子后会产生极度的不舒服，这甚至使你想要立马把鞋子脱下来。如果有旧伤，穿着高跟鞋会感觉更痛，膝盖或屁股疼痛也会大大限制穿高跟鞋的时间。年龄也决定了女人穿高跟鞋的时间。年轻的女人骨头更柔韧，比起年纪大一些的女人的脚能更快适应鞋子的形状，因此能在更短的时间经历更少的疼痛。即便是非常细心的人，穿了一整天高跟鞋后也会感觉不舒服。穿了一天高跟鞋后，做个足浴脚就能很好的恢复过来。把脚浸泡在甘菊、泻盐和薰衣草泡的水里大概十分钟就能缓解肿胀。足浴后，配上薄荷精油给脚做个按摩，不但能促进血液循环，还能缓解疼痛。