According to the 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.

Researchers examined 1,000 women and found that one in ten women now wear high heels three days a week and over a third of women have fallen while wearing them, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported.

Currently, teenagers are 50 times more likely to have hip trouble than their mothers, while the number of girls suffering from back problems has also increased ten fold in the last generation, the study revealed.

Podiatrists have long criticised high heels, warning women that they cause permanent damage. Common complaints from women who regularly wear them include heel pain and calluses.

Such restrictive footwear can also cause bunions, ingrown toenails, nerve problems, stress fractures and 'hammertoes' -- a permanent bend in the middle joint of a toe.

But the study concluded that flat pumps, popularised by model Kate Moss [Images] and singer Amy Winehouse, were equally problematic because they offer no support at all.

Ladies, are you used to traipsing around in high heels all day? Do you find that your impractical shoes are taking a toll on your health? Tell us.

Photograph: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images