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Wearing the wrong shoes can lead to problems later in life

Posted at 5:04 PM, Feb 28, 2014
and last updated 2014-02-28 17:04:34-05

One of the most intimate relationships a woman can have is with her footwear.

"I have a pair of Manolos that I spent a lot of money on, and they are the most beautiful things you`ve ever seen,” says Trisha Calvo.

”Well, I just love this shoe, it`s beautiful. It`s Diane von Furstenberg,” says Jennifer Frost. But like any intense relationship, sometimes the pain can be unbearable.

"Wearing the wrong shoes can lead to life-long deformities that require surgery to fix.”

Shoes that force feet into narrow or pointy toes can cause bunions or hammertoes, where the toes curl downward unnaturally. High heels can shorten your Achilles tendon and can trigger planter fasciitis, an inflammation of the tissues of the soles of the feet. Even flat shoes can harm your feet if they lack support and cushioning.

So how do you put your best foot forward? ”Opt for a lower heel to take some of the pressure off the ball of your foot. Make sure that there is enough room in the toe, and avoid thin-soled shoes that have little or no support,” says Orly Avitzur.

The most common problem is simply wearing the wrong shoe size. One study revealed that over a third of people wore shoes that were off by a half-size. And 12 percent wore shoes that were off by one-and-a-half sizes!

So have your feet measured each time you buy and keep your emotions in check.

"I feel fabulous in them and that`s the problem, is that you feel fabulous in your shoes and you just, emotionally fabulous in your shoes, not physically fabulous in them,” says Frost.