Fashion

High Heel Related Injuries Are On The Rise

by Jamie Cuccinelli

If you ever spent a night teetering around in sky high heels or took a spill in your stilettos down a flight of stairs after one too many martinis, you know the health hazards of fashionable footwear. But did you know that injuries related to high heels are actually on the rise, especially among people in their 20s? Sounds like it's time for a heel-tervention.

The Journal of Foot and Ankle Injuries recently published a study conducted by the University at Alabama at Binghamton that concluded an estimated 123,355 emergency room visits between years 2002 and 2012 were related to your stylish Louboutins and sky high heels, — a number that doubled within that decade.

What's truly unusual for these foot and ankle injuries (in this case, typically sprains and strains), is that they are affecting women in their twenties, an age demographic that most assume would be in the prime of their health. But being young and healthy doesn't translate to mastering the art of balancing on stilettos.

If you tend to look like a baby horse just learning to walk while rocking high heels, or if you have to wear them for a longer period of time — Cosmopolitan points to another study that indicates that wearing heels for long periods of time can permanently weaken ankle strength — you might want to consider another option.

Oli Scarff/Getty Images News/Getty Images

An easy solution? The midi heel, that nifty little style that lives somewhere between kitten heelville and stiletto city. Midi pumps still give you the lift and professional streamline that your outfit needs, without sacrificing the health of your feet and ankles. Check these midi pumps below that may be short on the height but not on style.

J. Crew Raffia Ankle-Tie Sandals

$178

J. Renee Jilli Pump

$49.95

Naturalizer Betty Pump

$49.95

Cole Haan Prieta Pump

$99.95

Tahari Camelot Pump

$69.95

Nine West Serverina Pump

$44.94

Mix No. 6 Parry Pump

$29.94

Images: Getty Images (2), Courtesy Brands