High Heels Cost Up To £29 Million in Health Costs

A league table of high heel-induced injuries shows that bunion removal 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% 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.

NHS consultant podiatrist Emma Supple, who led the study, said: “While we love our high heels, wearing them for prolonged periods is bad news for our health and wallets.

“We need to mix and match our choice of footwear to allow our bodies time to recover.

“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.

The news comes after a raft of high-profile personalities have donned killer heals.

They include Gwyneth Paltrow, who wore seven inch heels, Victoria Beckham, who was snapped in five-and-a-half inch spikes and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

A raft of models have also taken catwalk tumbles trying to walk in lofty shoes.