其實一直以來，女性都知道高跟鞋除了能帶給我們美麗這樣的好處之外別無其他，眾多的反面新聞并不能使我們放棄這女人的法寶。但是也許我們至少應該知道我們所付出的代價。

    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.

    每個女人的衣柜里都應該有一雙高跟鞋。他們可以是超級性感的或則是休閑款式的，他們可以為呆板的職業裝添上一抹女人味，他們也是華麗迷人的女士套裝的點睛之筆。但是經常穿高跟鞋的女人可以作證，如果不仔細呵護，高跟鞋也會引起許多悲痛。值得注意的是，不管高跟鞋多么好看，跟太高的鞋子絕對不是一個好的選擇。為了保持足部健康，鞋跟的理想高度是2.5英寸（約為6.5厘米-譯注）.如果長時間穿鞋跟高于3英寸的鞋子，我們的腳就要受到傷害了。超高的高跟鞋是非常不實用的，鑒于他們對腳部的傷害，堪稱為現代的裹腳布。當穿上那么高的鞋子后，傾斜角度太大，就使得足部的自然平衡受到影響，步態變得不穩，身體下部的所有負重關節都承受了過大的壓力。

    要學會正確穿高跟鞋，就需要多多了解自己的足部。女人們應該學會辨認自己的腳的類型：扁平足、足弓過高、腳背寬或窄，并且在購買鞋子的時候應該充分考慮以上因素。要辨認自己腳的類型，就要分析自己的足印。把腳打濕，然后踩在一張白紙上。如果沒有清晰的足弓--也就是說，如果腳印上顯示出了你全部的腳--那么你就是扁平足了。如果腳印上足弓處有一個輕微的"C"形狀，那么你有一個中等高度的足弓。腳印上的"C"越大，足弓就越高。如果腳印上只有腳的前半部和后面的腳跟部，那么你就是足弓過高了。

    大體上，所有好看的高跟鞋都有同樣的特質，但要達到最舒服的狀態，還是要根據不同的腳類型來選擇不同的鞋子。如果你足弓過高，就要遠離那些在足弓處完全沒有支撐或支撐甚微的高跟鞋。足弓過高的腳通常把壓力轉移至腳掌，因此，找到一雙在腳掌部位加有足夠軟墊的高跟鞋就很至關重要了。足弓過低、扁平足或是內旋的腳都應該選擇鞋跟堅固耐牢的鞋子。對足弓過低的女人來說，腳掌處置放軟墊也很重要，我們每走一步，腳部要承受的重量是自身體重的三倍！

    即使是知道了如何選擇正確的高跟鞋，還是有些女人最好永遠都不要碰高跟鞋。天生走不穩的人不應該穿高于地面1英寸的鞋子。腳踝脆弱的人即使穿2英寸的高跟鞋也容易引起嚴重的傷害。一雙可愛的小高跟或一雙足弓有足夠支撐的平跟鞋是不錯的選擇。如果你還穿著不合腳的鞋子，負面影響可能暫時不會顯現出來，但久而久之，穿不合腳的鞋子的惡果就跑出來作祟了。如果你足弓過高并且沒有得到足夠的支撐，可能會得足底筋膜炎、跟部刺激和腳掌疼痛。如果你是扁平足還穿沒有支撐的鞋子--如拖鞋、平底鞋--會使腳更加扁平，甚至使腳變寬。記住：過緊的鞋子會加重腳部畸形，像姆囊炎腫和槌狀腳趾。

    ,那么一定要選購可以為腳掌提供支撐的軟墊。凝膠鞋墊是個不錯的選擇，但穿性感高跟鞋時，能選花瓣墊底就更好了。要完全了解自己的足類型，還要知道為什么在看似買了正確的鞋子后還是不能穿上走兩個小時以上--可明明人家輕輕松松就可以走一整天。這是因為個體生物力學和足部情況差異在其中起了很重要的作用。任何的腳部畸形--姆囊炎腫、槌狀腳趾、雞眼等--在穿上某些鞋子后會產生極度的不舒服，這甚至使你想要立馬把鞋子脫下來。如果有舊傷，穿著高跟鞋會感覺更痛，膝蓋或屁股疼痛也會大大限制穿高跟鞋的時間。年齡也決定了女人穿高跟鞋的時間。年輕的女人骨頭更柔韌，比起年紀大一些的女人的腳能更快適應鞋子的形狀，因此能在更短的時間經歷更少的疼痛。即便是非常細心的人，穿了一整天高跟鞋后也會感覺不舒服。穿了一天高跟鞋后，做個足浴腳就能很好的恢復過來。把腳浸泡在甘菊、瀉鹽和薰衣草泡的水里大概十分鐘就能緩解腫脹。足浴后，配上薄荷精油給腳做個按摩，不但能促進血液循環，還能緩解疼痛。