After 6 months using winter boots and closed shoes that protect you from the cold, it is normal that in what begins to raise temperature and we enter the summer season, you prefer to go to your closet and dust off your beautiful flip-flops and start to use them or go to your favorite store and buy the ones that came out new with the season.
I hope that after you read this article you think twice and start to use your beautiful flip-flops only when the occasion warrants it.
Podiatrist say flip-flops are the most flimsy and unsupportive piece of footwear you can wear. This affirmation is based on the fact that this kind of shoes aren't good for extensive walking because they don't offer arch support, heel cushioning or shock absorption.
When you walk with flip-flops, your toes need to grip the shoe to keep it on, that repetitive gripping can lead to overuse of the muscles which could lead to tendinitis (inflammation of tendons), or plantar fasciitis syndrome which is an inflammation of the plantar fascia which can cause pain on the arch or/and in the heel of the foot.
While wearing flip-flops there is no support to stabilize the foot while you walk which increase the possibility of a sprain of the ankle or another kind of injury.
Another reason that we can add is that when you walk with flip-flops, unconsciously you tend to take shorter steps that when you use supportive shoes, this can change your natural gait and cause some issues to your knees, hips and spine and also can alter your posture, all this changes eventually are going to cause you some trouble.
It is true that flip-flops can prevent you from catching a fungal infection in public showers, and also is true that your feet feel fool but they shouldn't be worn all day they should be use for short period of time and just for specific activities like to go to the beach or pool but no as a daily footwear.
After all the above I recommend you don’t run, play sports or use all day flip-flops because they don’t really offer the support that an athletic shoe would give you.
If you suffer from foot pain I recommend you to go to your Manual Osteopathy Practitioner and he/she is going to assess you and work with manual techniques on the tissues that are causing your discomfort in order to decrease the pain.
