At this time of year, with the gorgeous weather we're having, it's definitely time to get rid of closed shoes. My patients are definitely flocking to the stores to get their latest pair of flip flops. Every day, patients are coming in to me with complaints, ranging from pain in the ball of the foot, to Achilles tendonitis.
How To Assess Your Flip Flops
If you're going to wear flip flops, you really need to look for the following things. If you take your flip flop and bend it, you'll see that when they have no support, they bend in half, right in the middle. They twist and flop from side to side, there just isn't really any support. When comparing that to this one, you can see that when I bend it, as hard as I want, it only bends at the ball, not in the middle. It does have some arch to it. It's not completely flat. And in addition, there's a slight elevation in the heel while still maintaining a soft footbed for comfort.
When you move on to walking more extensively, such as with this sandal, not only does it have an arch and bend only at the ball, but it adds strapping across the top of the foot and around the ankle to give you more support during walking activities.
If you're still having problems with your feet, maybe having worn the flip flops too much, come in and let us evaluate your feet and make a good recommendation so you can keep your feet happy during the summer.
Click here to learn more about how to wear flip flops without killing your feet.
