London - Crushed toes, throbbing soles and blisters are the price many women pay for a night out on the tiles.
But a survey has found that wearers of high heels start feeling the pinch less than three hours after putting them on.
According to a study, women’s feet start aching just 2 hours and 47 minutes into a night out – with most ditching stilettos for bare feet or “back-up” flats before midnight.
Around 2 000 women were questioned for the survey by Debenhams.
Of those who went out at 9pm, most had given up on their vertiginous heels by 11.47pm.More than half said they copied celebrity stiletto lover Victoria Beckham by wearing gel pads inside their shoes to increase comfort.
Two thirds carry a pair of flat pumps in their handbag for when their feet could take no more, while a third said they often finished the evening dancing in bare feet.
The same number bought comfortable high heels with wider, more stable heels.
Professor Karen Pine, of the University of Hertfordshire, said: “A thicker heel can give a feeling of more stability by counterbalancing those extra inches of height.”
TV host Carol Vorderman broke her nose after falling down stairs in her four-inch heels earlier this year. - Daily Mail