Interestingly enough, although I still can't see the article on this computer (it doesn't lock me out, it just won't load), I could read the article just fine (with the appropriate amount of magnification) on my phone. Weird, huh? At any rate, I'd be embarrassed to wear heels like they described, too! Chucks? With foam wedges somehow attached to them? Yuck!
The comments I made from a position of ignorance turned out to be accidentally correct. I am quite aware that my feet/achilles tendon are affected by regular heel wearing. I try to counteract this by regular stretching in addition to my golf ball exercise, mentioned elsewhere. Overall, I think the results are not only positive, but quite positive. I have no idea about walking efficiency, nor do I care. I do know that on the rare occasions that I wear heels as low as what they used in this study, I can sure zoom. Even in effective 9 cm heels, I am back to not doing too badly after my long trip.