Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThisIn Style, Out of Step
Some people care more about how a shoe makes them look than how it makes their body feel. In fact, 42 percent of women say they'd wear shoes that are uncomfortable in order to look more stylish, says an American Podiatric Medical Association study. Even Dr. Youner admits that high heels not only make a woman look taller and thinner, "they stick out your chest, make your butt stick out, they make you look sexier, curvier and slimmer." But, she warns, "the downsides are huge." After all, "it's nice to be able to walk."Wearing high heels can also cause blisters, corns, bunions and hammertoes, which can be painful as well as unsightly. A few women are even opting for controversial surgeries such as the "toe tuck" to slim the pinkie toe, "toe shortening" to downsize toes, and "toe slimming" to remove fat deposits on the tips of toes and fight so-called toe-besity.
But even those who would never dream of having surgery to improve the look of their feet continue to choose shoes with looks in mind. Sought-after beauties have always been associated with perilous footwear, whether it's the ill-fitting glass slipper that helped Cinderella nab a prince, or the mile-high Manolo Blahnik stilettos that had Carrie teetering around Manhattan in Sex and the City. Today's sky-high wedges, espadrilles and platform shoes are just as perilous. While these styles may seem more stable and easy to walk in than stilettos, warns Dr. Youner, "the higher the platform, the farther you fall."
Men are subject to some of the same foot problems from the stiff, tight leather shoes they wear for work. And weekend warriors often pound the ground in athletic shoes designed for walking or cross-training -- not rushing the net or sliding into third. "Men aren't forced into high heels with points in the front -- unless they're cowboys," says Dr. Youner. "So when men have foot trouble, it tends to be plantar fasciitis caused by inadequate support of the arch, sports-related heel pain, or bunions from trauma, like running too much or other weight-bearing exercise."
Many soldiers experience plantar fasciitis too. "It's the most common problem we see," says Lt. Col. Patrick G. Sesto, DPM, a podiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general. The painful condition -- an inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue along the sole of the foot -- can be caused by a genetic predisposition or, in the case of soldiers, by exertion. Says Lieutenant Colonel Sesto, that means "overuse from running, marching and carrying extra weight like a rucksack." So how much damage can a pair of shoes (and other foot abuse) really do? A lot.
Advertisement 
feeds instead
