Are those high heels killing your feet after some dancing?

For those who sit at a desk in comfortable shoes all week, a night on the dance floor can be surprisingly painful affair. Be it at a wedding, graduation ball, reunion or just another Saturday night out, you may want to feel the music, but your feet will say no. Anna-Maria Simantira, foot specialist at a clinic in the German city of Munich, has some tips on how to avoid blisters and other dangers of all-night dancing in this Q&A: “It’s quite a lot for your feet to cope with,” says Simantira.

The trouble starts with the fact that often, we rarely wear our party shoes, and perhaps find ourselves in them two or three times a year. It’s no wonder that we don’t wear them often, as they tend to be narrower and have higher heels than regular daily shoes, making them less comfortable and easy to wear day in, day out. “High-heeled shoes mean that the front of your foot in particular, is bearing all the weight.

“In addition, your toes have less room,” she says. That means your foot is less stable and is subjected to greater strain due to the unfamiliar footwear. And all that spells a greater risk of your shoes rubbing and you developing blisters.

These problems do not only affect women. “Men can also suffer,” says Simantira. Men’s shoes designed for weddings or balls are also frequently tighter than everyday shoes.

Start off by knowing your own foot and what it needs. If it is fairly wide, don’t squeeze it into that narrow strappy sandal, or you will be hurting b.