An elegant pair of heels can seem the perfect way to complete a smart outfit¹.

一双优雅的高跟鞋能为一身时髦的衣着锦上添花。

But women who wear them too often may find the downsides soon outweigh² the benefits – as research shows they can cause a potentially harmful imbalance in the feet.

但女性过多穿高跟鞋也许弊大于利。研究表明，高跟鞋会导致足部肌肉失衡，而这种失衡有潜在危害性。

Scientists examined the effect of the footwear on women who don high heels regularly for work.

科学家们研究了那些日常工作穿高跟鞋的女性受到的影响。

They found that despite initially³ strengthening important muscles around the ankle, after three years the shoes led to some muscles becoming dominant⁴ – increasing the risk of sprains⁵.

他们发现，尽管一开始高跟鞋使脚踝周围重要的肌肉变得强壮， 但3年后，它们会导致一些肌肉过于强健，无形中增加了扭伤的风险。

'As high heels are in fashion and sometimes required for certain professions, many women may be unaware⁶ of the extent to which [the shoes] may be weakening their dynamic balance,' said Dr Yong-Seok Jee, from Hanseo University in South Korea.

韩国韩瑞大学的季永颂博士说：“穿高跟鞋是一种时尚，有时候穿高跟鞋也是出于职业要求，许多女性也许没有察觉到穿高跟鞋会一定程度上削弱她们的动态平衡。”

'Eventually, major accidents such as falls and serious ankle sprains can result without proper maintenance and conditioning.'

“最终，在缺乏适当保养和调节情况下，摔倒和严重的脚踝扭伤等一类的严重状况都有可能发生。”

Dr Jee's team studied 40 professional women who wear heels of10cmor higher at least three times a week.

季博士的小组研究了40名职业女性，她们一周至少穿三次鞋跟在10厘米或以上的高跟鞋。

They regularly measured the women's ankle strength, and found that two of the four main muscles started becoming dominant after between one and three years of regular wear.

他们定期测量这些女性的脚踝强度，发现在常穿高跟鞋1到3年不等的情况下，四块主要肌肉的两块开始变得凸出。

They told the International Journal of Clinical Practice: ‘These results suggest that wearing high heels may strengthen ankle muscles at first, but prolonged use [of more than three years] eventually causes a muscular imbalance – a crucial predictor of ankle injury.'

他们对《国际临床实践杂志》表示：“这些结果表明，穿高跟鞋可能最初会使踝关节的肌肉变得强壮，但长期穿高跟鞋（超过3年）最终会导致肌平衡失调，而失调可能会引起踝关节损伤。”

Deformed⁷ feet, back pain and unhealthy walking patterns can all result from wearing heels, Dr Jee added, so it is important for women to take what he describes as ‘preventative measures'.

季博士补充道，足部畸形，背部疼痛和不健康的行走方式均是穿高跟鞋导致的恶果。所以很重要的一点是，女性要采取他所描述的“预防措施”。

As well as limiting how often the shoes are worn, Dr Jee recommends ankle-strengthening exercises such as deliberately⁸ walking on the heel of the foot with the ball raised, or tapping toes.

在限制穿高跟鞋频率的同时，季博士推荐加强踝关节的练习，比如故意用脚跟走路，把脚趾部分抬起来，也就是足尖点地那样的方式。

Toe tapping involves sitting in a seat with bare feet on the ground and simply lifting the front of the foot, keeping the heel in place.

足尖点地，是指我们坐在椅子上，光脚平落地上，抬起前脚掌，脚跟固定不动。

'It is clinically important for wearers of heels to regularly perform [these] exercises,' Dr Jee said.

季博士说：“从临床方面来讲，穿高跟鞋的人有规律地进行这些练习十分重要。”

The damage done by high heels is not only muscular – it can also be cosmetic⁹.

穿高跟鞋不仅对肌肉带来危害，还会影响美观。

Celebrities¹⁰' feet can often end up looking less than glamorous¹¹ after years of wearing uncomfortable – but stylish¹² – shoes.

在多年穿着时尚但不舒服的鞋子以后，名人们的脚看起来通常不如以前美观。

The normally elegant Samantha Cameron proved the point during the election campaign in April, when she kicked off her loafers to reveal a patch of worn skin and bony lumps on her big toes.

平常典雅大方的萨曼莎·卡梅伦在四月份的英国大选活动中证明了这一点。当她踢掉穿着的乐福鞋时，露出来的是磨损的皮肤和脚趾上突出的大骨节。

Podiatrist Michael Ratcliffe said at the time the lumps appeared to have been caused by years of irritation¹³, and were ‘generally the result of wearing high heels'.

足病医生迈克尔·拉特克利夫表示，鼓出来的包块似乎是因为持续数年的发炎造成的，“通常是由穿高跟鞋引起的”。