Let’s face it — no pair of shoes with heels is ever going to feel like your favorite sneakers. But wedges are a bit more foot-friendly than other heels. “Wedges don’t put all your weight on one point of the heel. Your weight is dispersed throughout the foot,” says Marlene Reid, a podiatrist in Westmount, Illinois, and a spokeswoman for the American Podiatric Medical Association.

One of the most common wedge woes? Ankle sprains. “You literally can fall off your shoes,” says Reid. Wearing them too much can also cause some of the same foot problems that regular high heels do, including pinched nerves, heel pain, and contracted Achilles tendons. Still, wedges provide more surface contact with the ground, so they give you more balance and support than thinner heels.

These tips will help you select the most comfortable styles.

Look for pliable wedges made of softer materials, such as cork, straw, and rope, which allow your feet to bend naturally and provide some shock absorption.

If the wedges are made of wood or plastic, look for rubber on the fronts of the soles. Rubber adds comfort by allowing the shoes to flex at the balls of the feet.

The higher the wedges, the more pressure on the balls of your feet. However, if there are platforms under the toes, the shoes will be easier to walk in. Do the math: A four-inch wedge with a 1 1/2-inch platform under the ball of the foot is like wearing a 2 1/2-inch heel.

Tip: To really test the comfort of the padding in a pair of shoes before you buy, get off the carpeted area of the store and walk on a hard surface, like a tiled floor.