Are killer high heels killing your feet and damaging your health?

A beautiful pair of Louboutin or Jimmy Choo shoes with high heels might make you feel a million dollars but they come at a price to your health.

Naturally, there's the issue of toppling over after a few gin and tonics but experts are worried that killer heels are causing health problems for women.

And perhaps a few men as well.

The general rule of thumb is that the higher the heel, the greater the damage.

How high is too high?

This depends. Understandably, high heels cause problems for feet. They put pressure on the front of your foot.

A two-inch heel increases pressure on the ball of your foot by about 52% with each step. Wearing a three-inch heel will increase that pressure to 79%.

This extra strain on the forefoot can lead to hammer-toe deformities, bunions, callouses and Morton's neuroma, a thickening of the nerves between the toes which can cause pain and numbness.

Jan Vickery, lead physiotherapist at AXA PPP healthcare , said: "If you wear high heels daily you may also find that your Achilles tendon at the back of your ankle changes, becoming tight, thickened and shortened.

 Body and sole

High heels tend to push your body weight forward and so you need to work harder to counteract this and prevent yourself from toppling over.

This can place extra strain on your knees and can even alter the natural curvature of your back. This can lead to knee and back pain. If you already have problems in these areas, wearing heels for extended periods could make them worse.

"High heels can be a great fashion accessory but, from the point of view of the foot, wearing high heels habitually isn’t a good idea. The joints of the feet can be damaged by wearing high heels, and this can cause deformities and some forms of arthritis," said Jan.

 A time to heel

Keeping your high heels for special occasions will save you some of the problems that come from wearing them on a daily basis. For everyday wear, try to keep to heels no more than about 1¼ high.

Jan recommends moderation.

"Wear your heels for as short a period as possible, taking them off when you need to walk longer distances or when you’re sitting, and carry some flat, supportive shoes to change into."

Designer Vivienne Westwood would probably not agree.

She said: "Shoes must have very high heels and platforms to put women's beauty on a pedestal."

Listen to your body

Taking care of your feet doesn’t mean a lifetime in flats. These tips should help you reduce the impact that wearing high heels has on your feet and body.

"Try some shock absorbing pads and callous protectors for the parts of your feet that hurt the most. You should find these in most chemists," said Jan.

"When you take your high heels off, move your foot in a circular motion. Stretch your Achilles tendon by stretching your legs out in front of you and pushing your heels down and your toes up or stand with your front foot on a step, keeping your knee straight drop your heel below the stair level.

"Keep fit and work on your overall body posture and muscle tone. Pilates-type exercises are excellent for building good postural control.

"Wear shoes with varying heel heights. This will give your tendons and joints a rest from holding the same position.

"Most of all, listen to your body. You’ll know when high heels are placing too much strain on your body."