Are Flip-flops a Health Hazard?
As it’s summertime and almost 100 degrees here today, I thought I would post about a summer topic:
The NYT Health Blog reported this week that flip-flops may be hazardous to your health. After just coming back from a week on Kauai, HI where I hardly unpacked my sneakers (and did just about everything, including hiking, walking, and driving in flip-flops), my feet feel fine after a week of flip-flopping through the outdoors. Blaming foot problems on footwear isn’t a new idea — high heels have been known for ages to cause problems that start with the feet and ankles and can move up to the legs and hips.
Despite the research, I’m not chucking my sandals yet. Sometimes, sneakers are just too hot for summer weather – and contrary to the research showing that flip-flops disturb the foot’s biomechanics, other research has shown that shoes, including athletic shoes, can be the real culprits of corrupting the walk.
Has anyone experienced foot problems due to flip-flop overuse? Or maybe you’re a fan of sandals. Either way, I’d love to hear your comments about whether or not our summer footwear is setting us up for orthopedic woes down the road.
Sadly, you didn’t mention blisters. Just had a poor experience with that yesterday. My daughter brought her 3 yr. old over to go to the zoo with grandma. The 3 yr. old was wearing flip-flops. As a reflexologist my thoughts are the child’s foot is still forming — bones not yet ossified — bad move. The gramma in me thinks, “What is she thinking? We’ll be walking for 2-3 hours (a long time for a small child anyway) and then she sends her in flipflops. When a blister developed, it was a long way to carry the child back to the entrance and ultimately to the car. Painful for the child, too.
I love my flip flops for around the house, or somewhere where I don’t have to be on my feet for long — but they are definitely not for walking!