A stunning pair of heels can instantly elevate confidence, particularly during the festive period.
Yet, the reality of wearing them often falls far short of glamorous.
Hours spent dancing, navigating cold pavements, sipping champagne, and encountering treacherous surfaces like cobblestones outside pubs invariably lead to one outcome: discomfort.
While many resign themselves to this pain as the price of looking good, podiatrists insist it doesn't have to be this way.
Here are some hacks to help you through the festive season.
Why your feet hurt more at parties
The heightened agony of party heels isn't solely down to their height; it's a combination of factors. Dressier ensembles, slick venues, extended evenings, and the dehydrating effects of winter heating and celebratory prosecco all contribute to increased foot strain.
“Stilettos can look really elegant and make you feel good, but they will throw your weight forward to the ball of your foot and can lead to lower-back pain,” says podiatrist Margaret Dabbs OBE, founder of Margaret Dabbs London.
When weight shifts forward, toes take the strain. “They can also put extra pressure on the first joint, causing hard skin build-up and exacerbating bunions.”
Consider shape and fabric
Pointed shoes can do even more harm than we realise. Dabbs says that “pointed-toe shoes can contribute to corns, ingrown toe nails and bunions”.
If you wear them, you should “choose a fabric which is soft to the touch” to allow movement rather than compression – for example, opt for real leather instead of plastic to allow breathability and space.
Meanwhile, festive falls and twisted ankles are more common than you may think.
Consultant orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon Mr Ali Abbasian at HCA Healthcare UK, says: “A narrow heel gives very little stability. After a few drinks, balance and coordination drop, and a simple misstep can easily cause an inversion injury.”
Vivaia Pointed-Toe Bow Kitten Heels, £145
Steve Madden Zeina Pump Black Cherry Lacq, £91 (was £130)
Choose fuss-free styles
This season, mercifully, fashion is leaning in your favour. The trend cycle has moved away from needle-thin stilettos and towards the structured kitten heel.
“Flats, kitten heels and block heels are particularly on trend,” says Dabbs, noting that chunkier styles “distribute body weight more evenly, improve balance while walking, and offer better support.”
Podiatrist Gabrielle Conroy at Pure Sports Medicine agrees. She points to “heels that are wider and more rounded in the toe box,” and “shoes made out of natural materials, such as leather”, which allow the foot to expand during the evening rather than being squeezed tighter.
Abbasian goes one step further, stating that “a moderate heel height of three to five centimetres is usually safe” and “rounded or square-toe boxes allow the toes to move naturally.”
So the trendiest shoes this year are – almost unbelievably – the healthiest ones.
Sam Edelman Kammie Slingback Pump, £89.99 (was £150)
Penelope Chilvers Gamine Bow Suede Shoe, £259
Prep your feet before the party
We warm up for the gym, we cleanse our skin before make-up, but when it comes to heels, most of us simply shove our feet into shoes and hope for the best.
Dabbs says this is where everything begins to go wrong.
“Hard and calloused skin on the feet is painful,” she explains.
She suggests booking a pedicure or using a foot file on dry, rough skin before bathing, then following that with a foot scrub to “revive tired feet and rejuvenate dull, dry skin” and finishing with nail and cuticle serum to keep the nail bed flexible and strong.
Conroy advises to “wear heels around the house first [and] try them on to make sure they feel comfortable [to] ensure the shoes are broken in.”
She also suggests doing gentle calf and plantar fascia stretches before wearing heels, as well as reminding us to “take some flat shoes to change into for the journey home”.
LK Bennett Tayla Bordeaux Nappa Leather Folded Ballerin Flats, £79 (was £159)
Viral ‘hacks’ that are more hype
The internet loves a shortcut – tape these toes, stick this here, freeze that – but podiatrists are realistic about what really helps.
“Gel insoles can cushion the foot and provide more comfort,” says Conroy and that “heel grips can help” reduce rubbing. But she also notes that anything added to a shoe reduces space, meaning the fit has to be right first.
Abbasian says “gel or silicone insoles are genuinely useful”, but he warns that the popular toe-taping hack can “actually make things worse by increasing pressure”.
He prefers “a soft spacer if there is room in the toe box” to relieve nerve compression instead.
Scholl GelActiv Formal Insoles Small, £14.05, Amazon
The day-after recovery that actually works
The morning after matters just as much as the night before.
No matter how sturdy the shoe, after a night of dancing, feet swell. The goal is to reduce inflammation – not punish already-overworked tissue.
“You should bathe the feet when they are tired,” says Dabbs. She recommends using an intensive foot cream daily in the evening “to wake up with refreshed, hydrated feet”.
Conroy also advises to “elevate your feet to reduce any oedema or swelling”, try a “warm foot soak”, avoid popping blisters – no matter how tempting – and “wear comfortable and spacious shoes the next day”.
Abbasian agrees, saying that recovery is not optional – it’s the difference between enjoying heels again next weekend and swearing off them for good.
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