"To be carried by shoes, winged by them. To wear dreams on one's feet is to begin to give reality to one's dreams."

-Roger Vivier

Shoes of every make and style are loved by women across the globe but it is the heel, whether stiletto or platform that is coveted, adored, desired in such abundance simply in and of the shoe itself. They're everywhere. They run rampant in books, calendars, photographs, album and movie covers, dangling in miniature precious metal versions from earlobes and chains, women's closets and even their living rooms, and let's not forget their most important place of residence- women's feet. They're a constant obsession in pop culture, endlessly talked about and fetishized in television, movies, song lyrics, and seem to be worn without fail by glamorous celebrities no matter the occasion.

According to a study, teetering around in several inches of heel not only hurts the feet, but causes accidents. In fact, prolonged use can injure the knees and back, and the risk is more in case of teenagers.

Each of your feet is made up of 26 major bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles and tendons. Leonardo Da Vinci was right on when he called the human foot "a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art."

Your feet are designed to provide you with balance and strength as you walk or run over many different types of terrain. Here are some more fun facts about your feet:

* Your two feet strike the ground an average of 1,800 times over the course of walking one mile.

* The average person walks around 5 miles per day, translating to 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.

* When you walk, your feet bear the force of one and one-half times your body weight. When you run, this force increases to three to four times your body weight.

• Calluses and heel pain were the top shoe-related foot ailments.

• Women also complain about such conditions as bunions, swelling of the joint at the base of the big toe; hammertoes, a permanent bend in the middle joint of a toe; neuromas, nerve problems that cause shooting pain into the toes; ingrown toenails; and even stress fractures.

• Start with small heels. If you've never walked in heels, you should start small and work your way up. There are many heels to choose from, varying in height, thickness and shape
• Match your heels to the occasion. Don't torture yourself. Your heels won't look so glamorous if you're wearing a grimace of pain on your face. Will you be walking or standing for long periods of time? Or are you going to a dinner party where you'll be sitting for most of the evening? The more you'll be standing and walking, the shorter your heel should be.
• Test the heels before you buy them. Stand in your shoes on a hard floor with your knees straight, and see if you can raise yourself on your toes at least an inch. If you can't, the heels are too high, and you shouldn't wear them. If you try to wear heels this tall, you'll end up walking with your knees bent forward, and that's a good way to get very sore, not to mention looking rather daft
• Practice. Wear your heels for a day around the house before you wear them out. This will not only allow you to get used to wearing them, but it will also break in your shoes. Make sure you practice doing all the things you would normally do while walking

• Look for thicker soles for absorbing shock better and putting less pressure on the foot as well as an upper material, such as leather or microfiber, that will give a little to allow the foot to swell without pinching. "Those will still look nice and not hurt so badly," she says.
• If you simply must wear high heels, then limit the time you wear them. Alternate between high heel and low heel shoes to prevent the Achilles tendon from tightening. Wearing flatter shoes or tennis shoes for walking long distances, such as to and from the office and then changing into your heels once you get to work.
• Shop for shoes at the end of the day to accommodate the foot's normal swelling.
• Give your feet a nice massage or soak them in lukewarm water at the end of the day. "If your foot has been put in that funny position all day, it feels like it's stuck that way," Chiarelli says. "Treat yourself."