These Heels Were Meant for Hurting

Any woman who wears high heels will be surprised it takes so long...

After one hour, six minutes and 48 seconds heels start to hurt, a survey found. 

But for a delicate 20 percent, dancing shoes start to pinch after just ten minutes.

More than a third of respondents said their feet had been so sore on a night out that they danced shoeless and walked home bare foot. 

The statistics come from the College of Podiatry, which surveyed 2 000 British men and women and 60 podiatrists and chiropodists. 

Women were found to be three times more likely to cram their feet into uncomfortable shoes.

As a result, nine in ten women have suffered problems from bunions and corns to sprains and strains.

And pain is not the only problem, with many so embarrassed about the state and shape of their feet that they cover them up whatever the weather. 

The average woman surveyed said she had 17 pairs of shoes to choose from – twice as many as the typical male. 

Despite this, women were three times as likely as men to squeeze their feet into ill-fitting shoes simply because they looked nice. 

Blisters were the most common female foot problem, followed by cracked heels, verrucas, corns and in-grown toenails. 

The College of Podiatry warned that prolonged high heel wearing can trigger more serious problems including arthritis, stress fractures and trapped nerves. 

Mike O’Neill, a consultant podiatrist at the College, said: “There is absolutely no doubt that women who wear high heels are putting themselves at risk of permanent injury in the name of fashion.”

Lorraine Jones, a podiatrist based in west London, said: “It is the people who wear high heels all day, every day who tend to have the problems.”