Editor’s Note: Suzanne Marin Levine, D.P.M, PC, has been a podiatric surgeon in Manhattan for more than 20 years and is currently on staff at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital and the Center for Specialty Care in Manhattan. She is the author of several books including My Feet Are Killing Me and 50 Ways to Ease Foot Pain. Dr. Levine was thrice nominated as one of America’s Top Podiatrists by the Consumer Research Council of America and serves as the Vice President of the International Aesthetic Foot Society. Click here to learn more about Dr. Levine.

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.