Photo: X17online

Victoria Beckham hates flats. Even chic, timeless ballet flats, of which she has said "Unless they're on a ballet dancer doing ballet, I just don't get it. I love heels."

As a result, Beckham wears heels -- that's sky-high designer heels, mind you -- everywhere. From picking up her son at school, to catching a flight at LAX.

Her devotion to fashion's most simultaneously loved and hated accessory has helped make the super-skinny 5'4" star a bonafied fashionista. But could her stiletto overload finally be taking a toll?

Recently, Posh raised eyebrows when she was seen returning a pair of Christian Louboutin heels at Barney's in Beverly Hills.

The possible reason? Reports have surfaced that Beckham's doctor advised a bunionectomy, but that the star is trying everything in her power to avoid it -- from icing her feet to doing special exercises.

"A lot of women don't stretch and flex their feet properly," says Tina Aldatz, a certified Pedorthist and founder of Foot Petals insoles. "The reason bunions happen is when heels put too much pressure on the balls of the foot, and the fat pads between the bones get irritated."

Aldatz recommends heel-a-holics like Posh spend 5 minutes a day doing a simple exercise: "Take a tennis ball and really roll it under the ball of each foot, left to right, stretch the toes and go back and forth."

Miss Beckham, are you listening? Back in June of 2007, Beckham told a reporter from the UK's Daily Mail, "Part of the reason I wear such amazing shoes is to take the eye away from my horrid feet."

Time will tell if Beckham will have to slip into some flats once and for all.

In the mean time, check out other stiletto-lovin' stars who could be in danger of going down the same path as Posh: