Are sky high heels a must have for your summer wardrobe? There are a dizzying array of styles and colors that are sure to be on your must-have list. In dressing your feet make certain to remember that your shoes are covering acutely extraordinary, complex mechanisms.

Each foot has 26 bones anchored by hundreds of tendons, ligaments and muscles. The foot is a perfect combination of form and function and so should be the shoes that dress them. Healthy feet will walk you through a long and prosperous life if you manage their health. The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Association identifies pitfalls that come from choosing shoes that abuse:

• Corns: Do you love the shoes that show a view of your toe cleavage? These shoes are usually corn friendly, sprouting small yellowish bumps most commonly on toes that are already misshapen. Corns are the result of pressure when the skin has been squeezed between the bones and shoes. Common culprit, ill-fitting shoes.
• Bunions: Does your big toe look like it is angling inwards. The bigger a bunion gets the more difficulty it causes and can result in chronic pain. Crushing your toes into small spaces forces the big toe to try to accommodate for the tight quarters. It starts to drift towards the second toe and may even move all the way underneath it. Common culprit, ill-fitting shoes.
• Haglund's Deformity: These have been fondly called “pump bumps” by those who suffer to stay in the good fashion book. The rigid back of the shoes creates pressure that the heel finds very annoying and offers retaliation in the form of a bursa or large bump on the heel. Common culprit, ill-fitting shoes.
• Neuroma's: These are often referred to a pinched nerve in the foot and occurs when the toes have been chronically pinched together. This can cause nerve thickening that results in the formation of a lump at the bottom of the foot, commonly between the third and fourth toes. The usual prognosis is future toe pain and numbness, more suffering in the name of fashion. Common culprit, ill-fitting shoes.

There is a fallacy that shoes must be broken in. If your shoes cause problems immediately they were not properly fitted to your unique foot shape/width or it is a bad shoe design. Lets go shoe shopping with some tips from the Foot Care MD's:

• The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends that women limit heels height to no higher than 2 1/4 inches.
• Shop for shoes at the end of the day when your feet are the largest
• Most of us have one foot larger than the other. Measure the larger foot and use this as the guide. An insole can be an added option for the smaller foot.
• If there is only a carpeted area in the shoe department ask where there is a hard surface so you can test the shoes on this.
• Does the shape of your foot match the contour of the shoe you are looking at? If not there is most likely a painful forecast ahead. Don't forget the heel when checking for a good fit. Does your heel slip out of the back while walking?

Give up the high-heel habit; the harmful consequences to the health of your feet are not worth it. The seductive glass slippers should be left in the imaginary world of fairy tales. You have many miles to walk in those shoes - make the trip as healthy as possible!

Happy shopping!