The average woman can stand their new pair of shoes for just 34 minutes before grimacing with pain
Researchers have found that once they have stepped out of the taxi and into a pub or club, they survive just over half an hour before their feet start to hurt.
But a survey of 4,000 women revealed a determined 20% said the prospect of aching feet would not put them off wearing a pair of killer heels.
Erika Gibbins, podiatrist for shoe insert Insolia, said: ”So many women will be able to relate to these findings, as they’ve been victims of painful shoes, but persevere with them in the name of fashion.
”It’s ridiculous that so many nights out are spoilt so quickly by painful shoes and it doesn’t have to be this way. The fact the UK women are resorting to taking a second pair of shoes, and walking home barefoot means they need to do something so they can get to enjoy nights out and not worry about their feet.”
The average woman has suffered from foot pain on at least six occasions in the last 12 months.
The UK nationwide poll of women aged 18 to 65 found the average woman currently owns 18 pairs, typically spent £35 (€40) on each purchase and has a hoard totaling £630 (€740).
That means shoe-addicts have at least £315 (€370) worth that have never seen the light of day.
| 25% | take a spare pair of pumps ‘out of habit’ to change into because they know their shoes will rub |
| >50% | ended up walking home bare-foot |
| 10% | abandoned their shoes altogether or borrowed someone else’s |
| 20% | the prospect of aching feet would not put them off wearing a pair of killer heels |
| 10% | have been carried home |
| 33% | have deliberately chosen bars with stools to keep the weight off their feet |
| 50% | own a pair of killer heels which hurt to wear but put up with the pain because they look great |
| 30% | have worn an uncomfortable pair to prove a point to their partner |
| 80% | have nine pairs of shoes in their cupboard they have never worn or donned just once or twice and another four pairs they deem ‘too uncomfortable to wear’ |
| 33% | are ‘addicted to shoes’ |
| 17% | have a special dedicated area or shelf to keep them out of harm’s way |
| 25% | judge another female by their footwear |
| 10% | reckon they’re the most important part of an outfit |
| 25% | find it ‘easy to justify buying shoes’ |
| 18% | no matter what, they’d throw caution to the wind and still buy themselves shoes even if money was tight |
Confession note: I belong to all of these highlighted in pink!
Erika Gibbins added: ”In standard three inch (7.5cm) heels the centre of pressure is 75% on the front of the foot which is why you get that burning sensation on the ball of your foot. This can also lead to bad body alignment and leg and lower back pain. When you stand for a prolonged period of time the load is magnified to the point where the foot just hurts all the time. My advice would be to always test new shoes at home and if they feel like they might start to hurt, take precautions like fitting an insert to help realign weight.”
The study was carried out to mark the launch of Insolia inserts which claim to relieve the pain of high heels so women can wear them for up to three times longer.
Source: telegraph
