Summer is coming – The pro’s & cons of flip-flops
Flip-flops are super popular during the summer being so easy to take on and off and of course, a great-looking accessory especially when wearing shorts or after getting a lovely pedicure! But aside from these reasons, these are pretty much the only pros!
If you have any back, knee, or ankle pain, or wish to prevent these, you may want to avoid flip-flops! Flip-flops change the action of how you use your foot when walking. This is due to your feet having to grip the sandal harder in order to walk and prevent the sandal from falling off. The extra work causes fatigue in the feet, ankles and calves and can lead to overuse injuries. In the short term, this can create inflammation in the tissues of the feet. In the long run, however, it can cause chronic shortening of the tissue leading to changes in your posture and can overload many of the structures in your legs. Though many flip-flops are now being created to minimise these impacts, flip-flops are ultimately still slip-on shoes meaning these issues remain inevitable.
Some examples of issues created by flip-flops are plantar fasciitis, tibialis posterior tendinopathy, Achilles tendinopathy, tight calves, heel bursitis and reduced big toe mobility. Whilst you may never encounter any of these, the initial pain isn't worth it and shouldn't be ignored.
So does this mean you can never wear flip-flops? Absolutely not! Instead, by simply being conscious of our footwear, we can reverse health injuries and prevent new ones. You may want to try the following:
- Purchase strapped sandals which will provide some ankle grip.
- Invest in strapped sandals with a bounce-back base.
- Balance wearing sandals and good-quality trainers on the same day rather than wearing sandals all day.
- Purchase sandals without heels so you don't double your pain.
- Give yourself a great ankle, calf and leg massage on a day that you do wear sandals - they'll need it!
Everything is connected! Don't neglect your feet and tick off another way to keep your body happy!








