The average woman can stand their new pair of shoes for just 34 minutes before grimacing with pain on a night out, according to new research.
The study of 4,000 women for Insolia – a weight shift insert allowing heels to be worn for up to three times longer – found that once they had stepped out of the taxi and into a pub or club, they survived just over half an hour before their feet started to hurt.
Four in 10 said they take a spare pair of pumps ‘out of habit’ to change and more than half have ended up walking home bare-foot, while one in ten have abandoned their shoes altogether or borrowed someone else’s.
But a determined one fifth said the prospect of aching feet would NEVER put them off wearing a pair of killer heels.
Podiatrist, Erika Gibbins 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 nation’s 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.
“In standard three inch heels the centre of pressure is 75 per cent 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.”
Insolia Inserts help correct the natural heel toe stride by tilting your weight back towards the heel to reduce the forces that can pull your body out of alignment. This reduces pressure on the soles, which in turn cause strain on your feet and legs. Rather than simply padding pressure, Insolia Inserts correct it allowing women to don their high heels for up to three times longer.
The research also found the average woman has suffered from foot pain on at least six occasions in the last 12 months.
One in ten have ended up being chucked on a mate’s back and fireman-lifted home, while a third have deliberately chosen bars with stools to keep the weight off their feet.
Yet half said they own a pair of killer heels which hurt to wear but put up with the pain because they look great, and three in ten have worn an uncomfortable pair to prove a point to their partner.
The nationwide poll of women aged 18 to 65 quizzed them on their obsession with shoes:
*Each currently own 18 pairs, typically spent £35 on each purchase and have a hoard totaling £630
*Eight in ten said they have nine pairs of shoes they have never worn or gone out in just once or twice
*They have another four pairs they deem ‘too uncomfortable to wear’ meaning shoe-addicts have at least £315 worth that have never seen the light of day
*One third admit they are ‘addicted to shoes’, and six in ten have a special dedicated area or shelf to keep them out of harm’s way
*One in five judge another female by their footwear and one in ten reckon shoes are most important part of an outfit
