Many women think that an outfit isn’t complete without a pair of high-heeled shoes, but that fancy footwear may end up seriously cramping their style. Although heels aren’t usually considered particularly comfortable, most women are not aware of the potential dangers. High heels are pumps with heels of more than two inches, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association, who has determined them to be “biomechanically and orthopedically unsound.” Aside from damaging a woman’s posture and increasing her risk of injury from falling, these shoes actually damage the feet and may result in a lifetime of foot ailments.

Unlike the Barbie dolls they grew up playing with, women have flatter feet designed to bear their weight by distributing it evenly across the entire surface. By placing feet in an uncomfortable position, high heels may lead to a slew of health problems. Pain in the ball of the foot, metatarsalgia, is a common compliant for high heel enthusiasts. But the damage done by heels goes beyond aching feet. High-heeled shoes change the shape of the feet and may eventually prevent them from functioning properly. The unnatural position that the feet and legs are placed in when wearing high heels may shorten the Achilles tendon, which connects the calf muscle to the heel bone. This causes the tendon to become inflamed and irritated. Frequent high heel wearers may also develop a bump at the back of their heel, commonly called a “pump bump,” caused by friction between the heel bone and the back of the shoe.