ALWAYS ENSURE YOU GIVE YOUR FEET AMPLE REST BEFORE WEARING YOUR HEELS AGAIN — LATHA

group ABBA wearing in their videos — and I’d pair them with those huge bellbottoms, like they did too!”

All that changed in 2003, when she began experiencing severe knee pain, followed by heel pain, if she stood on them for too long. “Upon my doctor’s advice, I had to give up the really high ones completely about 12 years ago. I lost about 10kg in 2005, so the pain became manageable then but I still had to opt for sandals that provided entire foot support.”

To date, Latha says she can’t wrap her mind around giving up her beloved heels. “It wasn’t an easy decision at all, and I still wear two- inch heels — but only the kind that can support my inner foot too. They’re very sensible ( in other words, boring) — and nothing like the tall block heels and wedges I used to wear.”

Perhaps I shouldn’t have worn them so often, she rues. “For any other heel lovers out there, I’d say keep wearing them — because they can make you feel so good — but always ensure that you give your feet ample rest and attention before you put your heels on again.”

The toll that high heels can take on the human form is hardly new information. Yet, women the world over continue to hold fast to their ‘ no pain, no gain’ stance, where foot fashion is concerned. Weighing in on the subject, Dr Sebouh Kassis, a specialist neurosurgeon at Burjeel Hospital for Advanced Surgery, explains how the back pain such women experience is the same as in pregnant women.

“Wearing heels is not a natural physiological position,” he says. “The lower back has a curve — a natural arc — that helps humans to walk and divides our weight between the back and the joints. When we wear high heels, this curve is exaggerated and adds an extra load on the back joints, which leads to pain. This is almost like what pregnant women experience in their last trimester. As the baby increasingly weighs them down in the front, they arch their backs, without thinking, to balance the weight — which increases the weight on their joints.”

You don’t have to hang up your heels for good, he advises. “There are three things you can do to maintain a healthy balance. Avoid wearing the really high ones — save them for the rare special occasion, if you must. Shorter people usually wear higher heels to compensate, but the higher the heel, the greater the arch in your back, thus leading to greater discomfort. So, try to wear shorter heels. Secondly, limit the duration — how long you wear them for. And, lastly, balance your heels with other footwear; alternate with sneakers and flats. Protect your back.”

I haven’t had the heart to throw away my boots and stilettos, even though I know I can’t wear them anymore. But for those of you whose doctors haven’t asked you to stop making tracks in your heels yet, try taking it down a notch. You don’t need to walk a mile in my shoes for that. They’re only flats these days anyway.

karen@ khaleejtimes. com CONTROVERSIAL TO CASUAL: ( far

Victoria Beckham kicked up a storm in 2011 when she wore some very high heels to the royal wedding, while heavily pregnant; ( left) taking the final bow at her fall 2016 show in a pair from Adidas