Women in high heels urged to step forward

Rover Csapo seeking volunteers

PUT on your high heels . . . and help scientists in Manchester research the effects of long-term use of stiletto shoes.

Oldham women who wear high heels at least five times a week are wanted by scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute for Biomedical Research into Human Movement and Health.

High heels can cause calf pain, stiffness, bunions and even difficulty standing flat.

Reports last month highlighted the extreme lengths women will go to to ease the pain of fashionable footwear, from toe surgery to foot botox.

An estimated £29 million is spent annually on correcting the damage caused by stilettos.

Now the scientists hope to find the solution to the painful problem and have launched a stiletto trial.

The university’s doctoral researcher Robert Csapo said: “We are looking for female volunteers who use stilettos — with a minimum heel height of five centimetres — five times a week, and who have done so for at least two years,.

“It is so we can better understand the impact of regular high heel use on lower leg muscles and tendons.

“It is unsurprising that women who have worn high-heeled shoes for several years complain of pain and podiatry problems, as human muscle is highly malleable and adapts with chronic use. We expect to find the calves of our volunteers visibly changed, with shortened calf muscles, lengthened front leg muscles, shortened Achilles tendons — which will make it difficult to stand flat — and tighter ankles with less movement.

“We hope to obtain some hard scientific data that enables us to provide useful advice to both women and shoe manufacturers on preventing the adverse effects of high-heel wear, such as the optimum time and frequency to wear stilettos,” he added.

Contact Robert Csapo on 0759-9431483 or mail r.csapo@mmu.ac.uk.

The study will take approximately two hours.