With the wonderful weather we’ve been having and due to continue this week, flip flops are are common footwear of choice!
Flip flops are great for chucking on to get from the car to the beach and walking around the pool on holiday. But this footwear can play havoc with our feet and other areas of our bodies!
In the summer months we see so many people coming into the clinic with foot and ankle problems such as achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. In many of the people with knee, hip & back problems that come to see us, we also find that a sudden increase in wearing flip flops for long periods of time has played a part in their problem.
Flip flops provide no support for your feet, they are often made of very flexible rubber with little additional structure to support your foot. This causes considerable stress to your feet as you rely on your toes to grip with every step and the additional stress placed on your plantar fascia, achilles tendon and other structures in your foot. On the whole, for short periods of time this isn’t a problem.
However, if you’re going for a longer walk or going to be on your feet all day, ditch the flip flop and wear something more supportive.
If you’ve noticed you’re suddenly getting pain in your foot ankle or other part of your leg or back and have been wearing flip flops more now the sun is out, try reducing how much you wear them and see if this makes a difference. It could be that this change of footwear has caused you some issues and your body is complaining.
#NationalFlipFlopDay
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