High heel injuries cost £29m a year
Updated on 01 October 2008
High heels are costing the nation £29 million a year through injuries to feet, according to new figures.
Operations and medical procedures to correct damaged feet can cost sufferers thousands of pounds a time.
Bunion removal due to wearing high heels too frequently can cost £4,000 a time and £10.5 million is spent on this procedure each year.
Toe straightening, the most common procedure, can cost £1,200 each time and £10.4 million is spent on this every 12 months.
Big toe joint replacement is also costly at £4,000 a time, adding up to £3.3 million over a year.
Corns account for 12 per cent of high heel injuries, and with treatment costing £800 a time, this costs the nation £2.9 million per annum.
Removal of trapped nerves can cost £2,000 to carry out, amounting to £2 million a year, while ingrowing toenails cost £250 to treat and £200,000 is spent on this every 12 months.
The study of 1,000 women, funded by shoe company MBT, found that those living in Liverpool and Manchester were most likely to suffer from wearing heels, with 45 per cent wearing them every day.
It also found that 42 per cent of the women surveyed reported having some kind of accident in their heels, with twisted ankles and falling over the most common mishaps.
Emma Supple, consultant podiatrist for the MBT Academy, said: "While we all love our high heels, wearing them for prolonged periods is bad news for our health and our wallets.
"We need to mix and match our choice of footwear to allow our bodies time to recover."
She urged women to consider a more balanced "diet" of shoe wear.
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