Health workers say women are now more likely to injure themselves from taking a tumble in a pair of high heels than on the sports field.
NSW Ambulance paramedics report a rise in triple-0 calls by women suffering ankle fractures, dislocated knees, head injuries and broken wrists caused by falling from their shoes, The Sunday Telegraph says.
Podiatrists and chiropractors have seen “dramatic” increases in chronic injuries from wearing extreme heels long-term.
Ambulance figures show accidents spike on weekends, especially at horse racing carnivals and in nightclubs, when “more often than not there is some level of intoxication which contributes to falling”, NSW Paramedics spokesman Craig Pusser said.
“The worst incident we’ve seen was a girl in her early 20s who rolled her ankle inwards in very high heels while standing in a club, resulting in a compound fracture, where the bone actually sticks out,” he said. “That’s an injury we usually see in footballers.”
The height of stilettos has shot up in recent years and they now range up to a staggering 17cm. And the average pair of heels now towers at 11cm which is almost twice as high as in the 1970s. The heels throw a woman’s weight forward and dramatically increase the risk of overbalancing, especially on hard surfaces.