Poorly fitting shoes can cause bunions, corns, calluses, hammertoes, and other disabling foot problems.
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, one in six persons or 43.1 million people in the U.S. have foot problems. Thirty-six percent regard their foot problems as serious enough to warrant medical attention.
The cost of foot surgery to correct foot problems from tight-fitting shoes is $2 billion a year, according to the AAOS. If time off from work for the surgery and recovery is included, the cost is $3.5 billion.