Pre-Summer Foot Care - Part 4 – Sandals and Flip-Flops

Summer officially starts soon. With it, if you haven’t already started, comes the wearing of sandals or flip-flops. There are also possible hazards for your feet. A bit of care can help your feet survive in spite of how we treat them.

Support – remember that generally speaking, sandals are better for your feet than flip-flops. They offer better support and protection around the foot, and a more stable base. If you look at most flip-flops, they  are very thin soled, often thinner on one side as the wearer walks on the side. The heel is often exposed to the sidewalk. There is nothing to really keep the foot in-line with the footbed of the flip-flop. At least with sandals a strap goes over the forefoot and another around the heel, keeping the foot on the footbed. Most flip-flops offer no arch support and no heel support. The foot is not secure and it can easily slip to one side leading to a fall or a turned ankle. Then, to top it off, the feet are usually dirty, often with calluses and cracked heels. Often it is not a pretty sight. I wear flip-flops around the house, but not in public.

Protection – Feet on flip-flops are exposed to anything and everything. You can easily stub toes, something may drop on your feet, they might scrap against curbs or rocks, and they are easily pierced by anything sharp. Sandals offer more protection over, around and under feet.

Function – Flip-flops are designed for casual wear, not for extended walking, exercise, golf, running – and especially not mowing your lawn. Sport sandals are a better choice.

Given a choice, I’d recommend sandals over flip-flops.

Need more convincing? A study on flip-flops was released last week at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis. Researchers at Auburn University in Alabama recruited 39 college-age men and women, and measured how the participants walked on a special platform wearing thong flip-flops. Study author Justin Shroyer, a graduate student in Auburn's Department of Kinesiology, reported, "What we saw is that when people walk in flip-flops, they alter their gait, which may explain why we see some lower leg and foot problems in people who wear these shoes a lot."

If you choose to wear flip-flops, at least buy new ones every four months. When the thin footbed flattens out, it’s time to replace them.

After all, we want our feet to be happy.