Summers may feel like the ideal season to sport comfortable, breezy flip flops but, sadly, experts have a contradictory opinion. Wearing them to the spa, pool, beach or shower is fine but should you really have them on all the time? Apparently not. Here’s why flip flops are bad for your feet.
1. Scarce support: If you plan towalk with flip flops on, it could turn out to be painful for you in the long run, since they have no heel cushioning, no arch support and no shock absorption. Dr. Rana K. Chengappa Clinical Director, Sports Medicine, AktivOrtho, Delhi, says, “Flip flops are highly inappropriate for long term usage. Walking up on a beach or just casually wearing them to the market is fine, however turning flip flops into your primary footwear is a no-no.”
2. Little protection: Flip flops give your feet little protection in terms of keeping them away from the harsh sun rays or saving them from insect bites. You’re probably going to be left with sunburned toes. They also leave your feet exposed to bacteria and fungal infections.
3. Damage to toes: Wearing flip flops could lead to hammertoe, where the knuckles of the toes have bent permanently. This happens because your knuckles work harder to grip the flip flops and to hold them on your foot. “Flip flops do not provide support for the arch of the foot nor do they protect the toes, so one is more prone to plantar fasciitis i.e. inflammation of soles and feet, which can be quite excruciating, injuring the foot with a stubbed toe,” explains Dr. Chengappa.
4. Lead to bad posture: Flip flops mess with our posture as they are extremely flat. They don’t bend like our foot and tends to alter the biomechanics, which in turn affects our posture.
5. Toxic material: Flip flops have plastic straps which could be made of latex and cause allergies. Plastic also contains BPA which is a toxin with links to cancer.
6. Destroys the heel: With flip flops on, your heel hits the ground with a lot more force with nothing to protect it except a thin piece of sole. “The heel-strike impact increases when you walk in flip flops for a long time and can cause pain,” adds Dr. Chengappa.
