Have bunions driven Victoria Beckham to wearing flip flops?

We are delighted to see that Victoria Beckham has been photographed this month wearing ballerina flats and even flip-flops - admittedly the latter was on Malibu beach!

The immaculately groomed singer/designer usually wouldn't be seen dead without her killer heels.

But her love of five and a half inch stiletto heels have taken their toll as poor old Posh has painful bunions and is reported to be considering surgery to remove them.

What causes bunions?

Although bunions can run in families, they occur more often in women than men, usually as a result of wearing poor fitting shoes.

A bunion is a swollen lump at the base of the big toe. It occurs when your big toe turns inwards towards your second toe. Tight shoes rubbing against the bunion may cause it to become red, swollen and painful, making the problem worse.

Bunions are the most common foot deformity in the UK. This is not entirely surprising as a survey by the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists (SCRP) last year found that nearly 1 in 4 women can't resist buying the latest shoes, even if they don't fit.

And eight out of ten questioned had already suffered from a range of foot problems including bunions, corns, cracked heels and in-grown toe nails.

As Ms. Beckham and many other fashionistas know to their cost, constantly wearing high heels with a pointed toe box squeezes the toes into an unnatural position, making bunions more likely.

Continuing to wear tight fitting shoes makes the problem worse. Bunions can cause the foot to widen so much, it may be difficult to find shoes of a suitable width.

After surgery to remove a bunion, patients are usually advised to wear wide-fitting, low-heeled shoes for around six months.

High heels health risks

Bunions aren't the only problem caused by wearing high heels.

High heels shift most of your body weight onto the ball of the foot which can result in blisters, callus, corns and further foot deformity.

As your body weight shifts forward, your spine bends backwards to compensate, which can lead to back problems.

And wearing them for long periods of time (more than six months) can cause the calf-muscle in the leg to tighten and shorten. This in turn, causes other foot, knee and back problems as they adjust to your change in stance.

Top Tips for wearing heels (SCRP)

• Keep high heels for special occasions
• Limit high heels to three to eight hours of wear
• Vary your heel heights on a daily basis
• Vary shoe types
• Everyday shoes should have heels no more than 4cm in height
• Shoes with a strap or lace are better than slip ons, as they stop your feet sliding forward
• When walking in high heeled shoes use small steps, walk slowly, heel down first, followed by the front of the foot
• Practice calf stretches to keep your feet supple and prevent muscle tightening

This article was published on Wed 3 February 2010