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new shoes toe the line for specialist

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Thanks to a clever invention, Toowoomba party women no longer have to struggle on that long walk between the Shamrock and Fibbers…nor do they have to go barefoot, heels in hand.

The Flexi Flats are a lightweight, compact shoe that come folded in a small pouch. The pouch converts into a shoulder bag to transport high heels home.

Toowoomba podiatrist Anne-Maree Hanrick welcomes the news of a product that offers respite for women’s feet.

“The Flexi Flat is a good idea for when your feet are really painful on a night out and you aren’t ready to go home,” Ms Hanrick said.

“However, the best way to avoid this problem is to not wear the offending shoes in the first place.”

To avoid problems later in life Ms Hanrick recommends that women wear heels for a maximum of four hours on special occasions such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve parties.

“High heels put extreme strain on your overall posture,” Ms Hanrick said.

“The burning forefoot is just a small side effect of what the extra height is really doing to your body. Heels throw the pelvis forward which in turn, compresses the lumbar spine. This can lead to sciatic impingement, hamstring tightness and poor balance as well as degeneration of the lower spinal column.”

“Heels, while they may look good also turn off our core, our major postural stabiliser. Therefore our lower abdominals and buttock muscles are no longer functioning as they should, so glamorous heels are actually contributing to bigger bellies and saddle bags. Basically heels are not only destructive to feet but also the ankles, knees, hips and spinal column. They should only be worn in very small doses.”

The Chronicle - Anthea Gleeson Wednesday December 16th 2009