FLIP-FLOPS: A major...FLOP!

After spending hours walking at last years' Cobourg Waterfront Festival (we never tire of it!), I was absolutely amazed at how many people were wearing flip-flops. There is some serious walking at this festival folks!

In recent years, flip-flops have become the new "norm" for people of all ages, not just teenagers. What used to be a shoe designed for use around the pool or at the beach, has now become a shoe worn for all activities, just like regular shoes. Sure, they are inexpensive, they let your feet air out, and some even find them comfortable, but they have NO SUPPORT! If you wear these shoes for every day use, you are risking serious injury to your feet, legs and back - injuries that can create a lifetime of painful problems.

Think about it - how does an extremely flat piece of rubber, held together by another strip of rubber, provide support? Your feet have to work really hard to keep these shoes on.

Now, I don't have an issue with the shoes themselves - they are great if used for their intended purpose - but I do take issue with people who wear them for long jaunts, or allow their kids to wear them at the playground (what would happen if the child's flip-flop got caught on the monkey bars???....CRASH!). This little flat rubber shoe is fantastic at the pool or at the beach, providing protection from the hot sand, slippery pool surround, and to protect the foot from viral (plantar warts) and fungal (athlete's foot and fungal toenails) infections. So, why not use them for just that?

If, after reading this post, you decide to continue to wear flip-flops because you are making an "informed decision", lol, please consider wearing ones with good arch support...and wear your running/walking shoes when you plan to be on your feet for long periods.

If you are a die hard flip-flop wearer and need some help getting your feet back to good health, our chiropodists would love to help you (and no, we won't lecture you...you already know better). Give us a call.....Northumberland Physiotherapy and Foot Care Centre, in Cobourg (905-373-7045), The Sports Injury and Foot Health Centre, in Port Hope (905) 885-0024. Visit us at our website too: http://www.we-fix-u.com/

Posted via email from Northumberland Physiotherapy and Foot Care Centre's posterous