Researchers looking into a possible link between wearing high heels and osteoarthritis of the knee in women were surprised to find that in fact wearing high heels seems to offer some kind of benefit in preventing the condition.

From the BBC article:
More than 2% of the population aged over 55 suffers extreme pain as a result of osteoarthritis of the knee.

The condition is twice as common in 65-year-old women as it is in men the same age.

Women's and men's knees are not biologically different, so the researchers wanted to find out why twice as many women as men develop osteoarthritis in the joint.

Some researchers have speculated that high-heeled shoes may be to blame.

The women in the study were quizzed on details of their height and weight when they left school, between 36 and 40 and between 51 and 55.

They were asked about injuries, their jobs, smoking and use of contraceptive hormones.

However, while many of these factors were linked to an increased risk over the years, tottering around in high heels for years was not.

The researchers wrote: 'Most of the women had been exposed to high heeled shoes over the years - nevertheless, a consistent finding was a reduced risk of osteoarthritis of the knee.'

There was an even more pronounced link between regular dancing in three-inch heels and a reduced risk of knee problems.