Longer legs, a more elegant silhouette, and a walk exuding sex appeal. When you slip into a pair of towering heels, something magic happens to your self-confidence.
修长的美腿，优雅的轮廓，性感的身姿，每当你穿上高跟鞋，你的自信心总能得到魔法般的提升。

But most of us could cry with relief when we kick them off at the end of a long day.
但大部分人在漫长的一天结束后脱下高跟鞋时都会感觉有如从痛苦中解脱一般。

So it comes as no surprise to learn about the damage they do.
所以，当你知道它们会给你带来的伤害时，你一定不会太吃惊。

Latest figures from the College of Podiatry show nine in ten UK women suffer from foot problems at some point (around 20  million), with almost half admitting to wearing shoes that are uncomfortable... for the sake of fashion.
足病学院的最新研究显示，每十个英国女人中有九个人都或多或少地忍受着足部疾病的困扰（大约有2千万人左右），其中有将近一半人承认自己为了时尚而穿着不舒服的鞋子。

A survey of UK podiatrists revealed that unsuitable footwear is the leading cause of foot problems they see in their patients.
针对英国足病医师的一项调查表明，从他们的患者可以看出，不舒服的鞋子是导致足部疾病的首要原因。

And according to our gruesome graphic, high heels can affect everything from your back to your battered toes.
同时，根据这张可怕的图表，高跟鞋对你的影响是从后背到脚趾的。

Andrea Sott, a consultant orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon at St Anthony's Hospital in Surrey, says: 'Damage caused by wearing heels can be permanent.
萨里圣安东尼医院整形外科足踝手术顾问安德烈·索特说：“穿高跟鞋所引起的伤害可能是会是永久性的。”

'People who wear heels all day walk differently when barefoot as a result. It can lead to metatarsalgia and other painful conditions like plantar fasciitis, when tissue on the sole gets inflamed.'
“整天都穿高跟鞋走路的人在光脚走路时会显得很奇怪。它会引起跖骨痛和其他病痛，比如足底筋膜炎，这时整个组织都会发炎。”

Our feet are an extraordinary feat of engineering - with a quarter of all the bones in the human body. Each has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.
我们的脚是大自然工程师的杰作——上面有人类全身四分之一的骨头。每只脚都有26块骨头，33个关节，107根韧带和10块肌肉。

So how can you spot the heels which will cause greatest damage to your feet?
你怎么才能知道哪些高跟鞋会给你的脚带来那么严重的伤害呢？

The higher the heel, the greater the pressure - and the pain.
跟越高，压力越大——疼痛也就越大。

Our backs suffer, too, due to how heels alter the natural alignment of our bodies, and can cause serious spinal pain. And once the spine is out of kilter, the pelvis follows.
我们的背部也会疼痛，因为高跟鞋会影响我们身体的自然曲线，因此会引起严重的脊椎疼痛。而且一旦脊椎偏离平衡，骨盆也会偏离。

Some 42 per cent of women have had accidents in their heels - TV presenter Carol Vorderman broke her nose in a fall.
大约百分之42的女性曾因为高跟鞋而出过意外。——电视主持人卡罗尔·沃尔德曼就在秋天摔伤了她的鼻子。

Chris Walker, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Liverpool's Bone and Joint Centre, says: 'If you tried to bring out any other product this dangerous, it just wouldn't be allowed on the market.
利物浦骨关节忠心的整形外科医生克里斯·沃尔克说：“如果你想推出一个和高跟鞋一样危险的产品，它甚至不会被允许上架。”

So for our feet's sake, perhaps it's time to switch to comfy Birkenstocks instead.
所以为了我们的脚打算，或许是时候穿回舒适的凉鞋了。