Summer footwear warning: Why flip-flops and slip-ons risk your health
The higher the temperature, the more likely we will choose breathable clothing and light shoes that help cool our feet. However, many of the boots we opt for in the summer negatively affect our joints and spine. These shoes are best avoided.
6:07 PM EDT, June 25, 2024
Summer and high temperatures encourage us to find the most open shoes possible. The most frequently chosen are flip-flops and sandal slip-ons, which negatively affect the condition of the feet and joints. Experts point out that people walking in flip-flops usually lean forward, almost "dragging their feet."
To avoid losing them, they try to hold the shoes with their toes, which then perform additional work: they squeeze and curl to move the sole from place to place, indicate experts from the Podiatry Center.
Flip-flops and sandal slip-ons do not stabilize the ankle joint and may contribute to its instability. This can lead to severe injuries such as a sprain or twisted ankle. Additionally, this type of footwear can cause tripping. As specialists from the Podiatry Center point out, in such cases, "the brain, instead of activating the reflex to regain balance, focuses on tightly holding onto the sole."
Wearing these shoes in the summer can lead to deformities
Frequent and prolonged wear of flip-flops also negatively affects the metatarsal bones, causing them to spread out more quickly. "Depending on where the strap on the flip-flops is located, the toes must either splay out or grip tightly," indicate podiatrists.
They add that repeating this movement hundreds, if not thousands, of times a day leads to muscle and tendon strain in the foot, resulting in their weakening. This, in turn, is a straightforward path to exacerbating existing deformities of the foot and toes or to their development. The most common deformities include hammer or claw toes.
It is worth remembering that taking a few steps in flip-flops at the pool won't harm us, but wearing this type of footwear all day can cause serious problems. Instead of flip-flops and sandal slip-ons, choose sandals.
