Elevated heels exist for only one purpose. When you are riding a horse, you can slide your foot into the stirrup, and the elevated heel acts as a stop so your leg doesn't slide completely through. This allows you to shift your body weight on the saddle as needed during maneuvering on horseback. Because horse ownership was usually limited to the wealthy, elevated heels became a status symbol, and eventually became a ubiquitous fashion feature. This is one reason why Western people develop significant joint and back problems when they are only 40 years old (another is pants with low cut waists and crotches that makes proper squat, lifting, and high step form impossible). Elevated heels do not offer any cushioning or protection, because they are hard. They have no advantage whatsoever if you are not riding a horse. When you go to a sporting goods store and see hiking boots with thick heels, this is a genetic lineage to a useless fashion accessory from the 1800s and has no function whatsoever other than to gradually destroy your body.