It takes three-and-a-half days for feet to return to normal after wearing ill-fitting shoes
One in five of us are walking around in the wrong size shoes, new research has found.
That’s because many of us haven’t had our feet re-measured in at least ten years and a lot can happen in the foot size department in ten years.
What’s more, this could be causing us ongoing problems with our feet, a study by shoe brand Hotter has found.
It takes an average person’s feet three-and-a-half-days to return to normal after wearing ill-fitting shoes, making Britain full of people will unnecessarily painful feet.
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We’ve all felt the impact of tight shoes the day following a night out or a long shift standing up.
The bottoms of our feet throb, our ankles might be swollen and our toenails hurt when we go to put socks on. It’s not pleasant.
The average person will endure uncomfortable shoes twice a month.
With it taking three days to get over each bout of discomfort, British people are living for around a week each month with painful feet.
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It’s not just the size of our feet that change, either.
Some people will find that the shape if their feet change entirely over the years, making them more suited to wide shoes or slim fit.
The problems don’t stop at our feet. Dina Gohil, a podiatrist and foot expert, warned that ill-fitting shoes can cause back and neck problems, too.
“Think of shoes as the foundations of your body, if the foundations don't support you properly it puts more pressure on other areas of the body like you knees, hips and lower back.
“This extra pressure will cause for overcompensation on these areas.
"It is incredible how so many people are unaware that something as simple as the footwear may cause lower body pains and aches and even in your neck.” She explained.
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What’s more surprising in that one in eight people wear the wrong size shoe on purpose.
We all own a pair of shoes that don’t quite fit us. They were probably picked up in the sale or there was one size left and we just loved them too much to leave them behind.
That’s a big no-no.
In fact, some of us are so in love with our shoe collection that we’re willing to buy “sit down shoes” - shoes that can only be appreciated while the wearer is sitting down.
Hotter’s representative, Victoria Betts, said the brand is on a mission to “measure the nation’s feet”.
It’s important to remember it’s not just children’s feet that grow and change.
You might be surprised at what you find out by having a simple re-measure.
