Ladies: How Long To Wear High Heels

Note: This Article was originally written by Women's Health Magazine,

New research shows that the more you wear heels, the higher your chances of developing knee osteoarthritis. It's not exactly shocking that heels aren't great for you. But it begs the question: Exactly how many hours can you get away with wearing pumps before the damage kicks in? Let's take a research from a Health Practitioner in Los Angeles, Podiatrist L. Kelsey Armstrong breaks it down for us.

He says in his research that; "Heels are bad for your feet because they place your feet in unnatural positions," he says. The stress you place on the ball of your feet can lead to calluses, fractures, hammertoes, bunions, neuroma, and, we now know, knee osteoarthritis.

To lower your risk of any of these conditions, you should decrease the number of hours you log in heels. "The amount of time depends on the type of shoe and the type of activity your doing with them," says Armstrong. Here's your go-to heel guide:

A low heel (1.5 inches or shorter): "Use this heel for shopping trips or parties where you'll be standing for longer periods," says Armstrong—but cap their wear at four hours a day max.

A medium heel (1.5 to 3 inches): "These are the shoes you should only wear for show, at weddings, for a dinner date, and so on," says Armstrong. You're probably okay for up to three hours in these heels, but don't push it beyond that.

A high heel (3.5 inches or taller): It's best to avoid these altogether, but if you must for fashion's sake, stand in them for no longer than an hour at a time. "If the shoe is more supportive—it has a closed toe, or it's a wedge—you may be able to wear them longer than these guidelines," says Armstrong.

And because, let's be honest, you're not going to toss your pumps altogether, there is one other thing you can do to prevent issues down the heel-paved road: After you wear heels, "roll a golf ball on the bottom of your feet," says Armstrong. "This promotes movement and strengthens the small muscles of your feet—two things that don't happen when you're wearing heels."

Guest post from: L. Kelsey Armstrong a Podiatrist and also a Health Practitioner in USA, Los Angeles.