The Symptoms: Your hip flexors and calves feel tight, and your knees hurt. And, now that you think about it ... so do your ankles and your lower back.

The Culprits: Regardless of how skilled you are at walking in them, heels are the main cause of heel, ankle, knee, hip, and lower back pain in women. The damage they do goes far beyond unfortunate stumbles -- we're talking nerve damage, inflamed ligaments, and a shortened Achilles tendon and calf muscles.

Wearing heels forces all of your body weight onto a small area (hence the throbbing pain in the balls of your feet), a shift that causes a chain effect of problems. "This positioning causes friction and inflammation to the metatarsal area, the group of five large bones at the middle of the foot," podiatrist Phillip Vasyli explains. "To counterbalance this instability, you unnaturally push your knees and hips forward and arch the back." And it only gets worse. Walking in heels also causes the soles of the feet to face more laterally than usual, the arches to collapse, and the soft tissues to loosen, meaning your feet are slowing getting more and more disfigured, Quasimodo style. Cringing yet?

The kicker we've all been waiting for: "The human body wasn't intended to walk in high heels, so the most logical thing is to not wear them," Vasyli admits. Cue the eye rolls. Fortunately, the foot expert has workarounds since we're still going to wear 'em.

•Quality: Look for well-constructed shoes made from breathable leather and non-synthetics, with shock absorbing materials in the ball of the foot.

• Shape: Pick shoes that contour your arch and distribute weight over the entire foot. "Your best option is to aim for a 1.5- to 2-inch heel with a wedge sole."

• Moderation: Wear heels only once or twice a week, or only on weekends. If you need to wear them daily, wear comfy shoes to get to and from work, and wear your heels at the office.

• Stretch: Do this stretch before putting heels on and after taking them off: Sit on the floor with your legs out in front of you, then pull up and back on your toes for 30 seconds. Repeat five times.

The Symptoms: One of your shoulders is perpetually lower than the other, (or doesn't move at all), your neck feels strained, and you find it difficult to maintain good posture, even when you're giving it 100 percent.

The Culprits: Unfortunately for our joints, fashionable purses are only getting bigger (even clutches are supersized). Single-strapped purses are designed to victimize shoulders and even two-handled totes -- often held in the elbow crook in the style of notorious over-sized purse wearer, Victoria Beckham (hence, the spread of Poshitis) -- are causing muscle strain and pain.

Heavy purses place asymmetrical strain on the body, which throws your entire posture off balance. "Not only does the shoulder and arm musculature have to work harder, but the neck and torso bend and rotate in compensation, placing even more strain on the small joints of the spine," says physical therapist Rebecca Jacobs. Factor in Posh's (relatable) propensity of pairing poor purse-holding with killer heels, and the back strain doubles. Orthopedists: 2. Victoria Beckham: 0 (Marriage to David Beckham excluded).

The most obvious solution: carry a lighter purse, or go purse free (when was the last time you used your pockets?) If that's blasphemous, and you're already carrying only the essentials, Dr. Rachel Frozenfar, a specialist in ergonomics and chiropractic, recommends ditching your tote for a messenger bag. "This style is best when carrying a heavier load, like a laptop. The bag's strap should fall across the chest, and the bag's weight should fall on your back." Apply this rule when carrying anything that is more than eight percent of your body weight.

No messenger? At the least, try alternating shoulders, and make sure your purse is as close to your body as possible to reduce stress on your shoulders and spine. And while a heavy bag over the shoulder isn't ideal, it's better than carrying it in the crease of the elbow (sorry, Posh.) Jacobs also recommends taking preventative measures at the gym: focus on your postural, core muscles, and shoulders with more planks and pushups.