High heel injuries cost Britain dear

London, October 2: Wearing high heels,associated with style in a woman, can do more harm than make you feel sexy, reveals a new study.

If high-heels wearer slips she is most likely to break or sprain her ankles, ultimately forcing her to visit podiatrist with acute foot and ankle injuries that may leave her with bills of thousands of pounds a year.

The novel study by shoe firm MBT claims high heel-induced injuries like twisted ankles, bunions and ingrown toenails cost the UK £29 million a year to correct adding that nearly one in three foot surgeries on women are to correct disfigured toes induced by ill-fitted shoes, mostly high heels.

According to a league table of high heel induced injuries, bunion removal can cost £4,000 a time, toe straightening, the most common procedure, can cost £1,200, while big toe joint replacement is £4,000 per operation.

The MBT study that included 1,000 women found that 45% of women in Liverpool and Manchester wear sky-high heels all week long. It also found that four in 10 women suffered an injury in their heels, such as falling over or twisting their ankles from wearing glamorous footwear.

"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,” said Emma Supple, National Health Service (NHS) consultant podiatrist for the MBT Academy.

"Heaven forbid that we ban heels from our wardrobes but we want to balance out our heel wearing days, protect our bodies from future damage and avoid injuries," said she.

She further explained that bunion, which is a structural deformity of the bones and the joint between the foot and big toe, and corns can be incredibly painful, adding that though NHS provides free treatment to reverse such foot problems, waiting lists can be long. By opting for private treatment, women can be pain free sooner, but that may cost them a lot.

According to the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, as stiletto boots force the wearer to raise her heel, the lower back bends to compensate, putting pressure on nerves in the back and can cause sciaticadefine, a severe pain in the lower extremities, hips, and back caused by irritation of the sciatic nerves. Another common problem associated with woman's stiletto high heel shoes is damage to the Achilles tendon, the society says.

The study advises that sticking to heels no higher than one and a half inches can help women avoid acute foot injuries.