Why do flip flops hurt your feet

Since flip flops only have a thin strip of fabric or rubber holding the shoe to the foot, the toes compensate by working extra hard. To keep the shoes from slipping off, the toes must grip the soles. With continuous wear, the toes can become overused and the repetitive muscle action can trigger tendonitis. Tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendons and connective muscles.

This condition can be painful, and if left untreated can lead to tears or ruptures in the tendons. Constant flip flop wear can also lead to a condition known as Hammer Toes. This condition causes the joints in the toes to contract and leave the toes bent in abnormal positions. Toes with this condition can encourage bunion formation or worsen existing bunions.

Ankle, Back and Hip Pain. Since flip flops are not securely fastened to the foot, this causes you to change the way you walk. You may not even notice that it happens, but your body sure does. Most people end up taking shorter steps in an effort to keep their shoes on their feet. Many people also tend to drag their feet and hit their heels to the ground with less vertical force than if they were walking normally.

These things combined can throw off your natural balance and trigger pain throughout the body. This change in stride often leads to ankle, knee, hip or back issues. Plantar Fasciitis. Not only are flip flops often flimsy, but they are flat. Walking with flip flops for prolonged periods of time allows our foot to collapse affecting our gait and posture, which can lead to a tremendous amount of stress not only to the foot but to the rest of the body.

Our feet naturally pronate during the gait cycle, however when we wear flip flops we pronate for a longer period of time which then alters the biomechanics and distribution of pressure and weight across the foot.

This imbalance can then translate upward affecting other parts of the body such as our knees and back. When you wear flip flops your feet flatten as your arch collapses simply because your flip flops lack arch support.

The arch of your foot is supported by the plantar fascia, a thick, bowstring-like ligament that connects your heel bone to your toes. When you wear flip flops your arch collapses causing the plantar fascia to stretch like a bowstring away from the heal bone. The cumulative effect of gravity and the repeated stress of weight bearing on the plantar fascia can cause tiny tears in the ligament, which can lead to pain and swelling.

Over time the use of flip flops can be detrimental not only to the health of your feet but of the body as well. Your feet are the foundation of your body similar to the foundation of a building. They are responsible not only for holding up the weight and determining stability of the body, but also in maintaining postural alignment of your ankle, knees, and back as we move from one point to another.

Prolonged use of flip flops will increase laxity and weakness of the plantar fascia, which will may result in pain and discomfort not only of the feet, but also of the entire body. I cannot give a specific answer in regards to minutes or hours specifically as it depends on each person and if there are underlying foot conditions such as arch pain, Achilles pain, shin splints, or hammertoes for instance. Every time you take a step your toes are gripping onto the flip-flop which overtime can make a condition like hammertoes worsen.

Clearly, someone that does not suffer from foot issues can wear flip flops for longer periods of time, nevertheless I would suggest only wearing them for convenience and as little as possible.

The ideal scenario to wear them is to and from the pool, in communal bathing facilities such as gym bathrooms to avoid picking up any infections, and for a quick step in and out of the house, or at home if you have hard floors and no carpet. But, even so at home I would prefer you wearing a comfy closed toe slipper instead. Summer slide shoes are better than flip flops as they are just as convenient as you can easily slip them on and off but they are far more supportive and comfortable.

Summer slide shoes are somewhat similar to a surgical shoe as they have a harder sole than most traditional sandals or flip flops and can accommodate more uneven and hard terrain which of course can help minimize injury.

Hammer toes occur when the joints contract, causing your toe to bend abnormally. You change the way you walk when you wear flip flops.

Therefore, your entire body must adjust. Changing your gait even slightly can lead to problems with your ankles, knees, hips or back. This now brings their total David Remias and Dr. Pavel Balduyeu, to their This five-year agreement, initiated on Nov.