Flip-Flops Can Damage Your Foot Structure
Big uh-oh and gulp for me and fans of flip flops (think of your precious pricey Havaianas for this one.)
They may actually throw off your stride and cause pain in your lower legs and feet and this is according to researchers at Auburn University in Alabama.
Researchers recruited 39 college-age men and women, and measured how the participants walked on a special platform wearing thong flip-flops. On another day, the same participants walked across the platform wearing their own athletic shoes.
When the participants wore flip-flops, they took shorter strides and their heels hit the ground with less vertical force. When people walk in flip-flops, they apparently alter their gait, which may explain why lower leg and foot problems can occur in people who wear such shoes frequently.
I also did extra research on this issue, because I just couldn’t believe it. But here is what one site quoted:
Tony Bruno — a certified Muscle Activation Techniques Specialist — wearing flip-flops can not only cause dysfunctional changes and pain in your foot, these changes can resonate all the way up to your head, neck and jaw.
This happens because your toes try to grip into bottom of the flip-flop to hold them on your feet. Look at your toes in flip-flops. The distal part of your toe is trying to flex down (planter flex) to hold the flip-flop on, while the other part of your toe (middle) is trying to bridge up (dorsi flex).
I don’t think they’re saying we should banish flip-flops from our lives and collection forever, but maybe wearing them once in a while instead of every single day can be good for our lovely feet and bring comfort to our legs as well.
