Why women should ditch the stilettos

Kicking off your Manolos and going shoeless will keep the feet strong and flexible.

"Any heel above 3in (7½cm) multiplies the pressure on the ball of the foot sevenfold. It can also shorten the Achilles tendon. "

clipped from www.copytaste.com clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk On the social networking website Twitter, people are tweeting away on the joys of shoelessness. One barefoot enthusiast walks around barefoot in Manhattan, another likes to preach without footwear, others swap tips on which so-called ''barefoot shoes'' are best and discuss the joys of shoe-free marathon running. clipped from www.copytaste.com clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk A recent survey by the Royal Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists (RCP) found that 80 per cent of women in Britain have suffered from foot pain and problems such as bunions, corns and cracked heels, often because of ill-advised footwear. In this year's summer sales, an RCP survey found that 37 per cent of women bought shoes they knew didn't fit them. Mega-heeled celebrities such as Victoria Beckham do not help. clipped from www.copytaste.com clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk Debenhams recently launched a 15cm-high (6in) stiletto that, it claims, is the ''highest heel on the high street''. The wrong shoe can lead to foot deformity, sprained ankles, torn ligaments, shin splints, knee pain, lower back pain and other joint or muscle problems.