Men make better choices

Some women love their shoes so much it hurts. That is the conclusion of a new study that looks at the link between shoes and foot pain.It was based on questioning 3,378 men and women about their shoes in the past and the present. Their average age was 66. The researchers found that women who had mainly worn supportive footwear like sneakers or athletic shoes in theri early years cut their risk of foot pain later by more than half., compared with women who had worn shoes that gave average support, like hard soled or rubber-soled ones.

But both of those groups were in minority.
 More than 60 percent said that in the past they generally wore high heels, pumps, sandals and slippers, all of which researchers rated as higher risk. Women who wore those were at the most risk of hindfoot, ankle and Achilles' tendon pain.

The study, sponsored by the institute. "I think women need to really pay attention to how a shoe fits and realise that what you're buying could have potential effects on your feet for the rest of your life," "Its important to pay attention to size and width, and not just buy it because it's cute."

Men make better choices, the study found; fewer than two percent wore bad shoes.