Introduction High-heeled shoes have existed for centuries, enabling women to look taller and more attractive and changing their appearance without resorting to any cardinal measures. However, along with evident appeal-related benefits, such shoes present many health risks. Most typically, such issues are concerned with the musculoskeletal system, strains, and sprains. Although wearing high heels is likely to make a person look more attractive and self-assured, such a type of shoes should be used with caution due to several potential adverse health outcomes. Main body The prolonged wearing of high-heeled shoes can contribute to many healthcare problems. The development of low-back pain is one of the most frequent issues related to such a footwear choice. When a person wears high-heeled shoes regularly, the risk of developing low-back pain increases due to a variety of factors, including lumbar spondylosis (Afzal & Manzoor, 2017). High heels influence the lumbar curve, which leads to a higher load on the anterior tibialis muscle. Furthermore, the frequent wearing of such shoes can cause a disturbance in the center of the body mass (Afzal & Manzoor, 2017). Leg and back pain may emerge, which negatively affects one’s gait, as well as causes changes in the speed of walking and length of stride. Hence, low-back pain as a result of wearing high heels is quite a frequent phenomenon, which entails severe health outcomes. Apart from causing low-back pain, high-heeled shoes can lead to several musculoskeletal injuries, including sprains, strains, and musculoskeletal pain. According to research, prolonged wearing of high-heeled shoes can generate ankle and foot strains and sprains, musculoskeletal pain, and hallux valgus (Barnish & Barnish, 2016; Moore et al., 2015). Two decades ago, footwear was announced to be the main cause of foot disorders (Barnish & Barnish, 2016). A study on high-heeled shoe injuries found that the rate of such traumas increased almost two times over the period from 2002 to 2012 (Moore et al., 2015). A variety of injuries caused by high heels signifies a dangerous trend and evokes an urgent need to eliminate the time of wearing such shoes. Finally, there is evidence of high-heeled shoes’ capability of increasing weight on the knee during walking. If an individual wears high heels for a long time, there is an elevated risk of knee osteoarthritis (Titchenal et al., 2015). This dangerous disability cause is more pertinent to women than men (Titchenal et al., 2015). The changes developing in young women wearing high heels are quite similar to age-related alterations in people’s knee health. The higher the heels are, the more risks of developing knee disease or injury emerge (Titchenal et al., 2015). What is more, the situation can become aggravated if a woman wearing high-heeled shoes has excessive weight. Therefore, one should think twice before choosing footwear, taking into consideration one’s age, body mass index, and the length of time spent walking or standing. Conclusion Whereas high heels are associated with sexuality and attractiveness, their effect on individuals’ physical health can be disastrous. The risk of low-back pain is one of the most typical side effects of wea