“Woohoo it’s summer!! Get the shorts out, slap the sun cream on, get the flip-flops out and…”
STOP!
Unless you’re going to be spending the day on the beach, by the pool or even lounging about in your garden, then flip-flops are not the best choice of footwear for you, and are definitely not built to be doing a decent amount of walking in.
The issue with flip-flops, or more specifically the flop-flips with just a single toe strap holding you in, is that they’re making your foot do all the work, rather than making life any easier for you. Flip-flops require you to “clench” your toes when walking, to keep them on. This is not a natural position for your feet. Flip-flops take away that natural bend in the toes as your heel leaves the floor, resulting in your foot being stiffer as it isn’t flowing as it should.
This constant “overworking” of your toes to keep your flip-flops on when walking, actually alters the way that you walk, and causes muscular issues higher up the body, in to the calves and sometimes even in to the knees.
A common, painful condition that flip-flop wearers tend to suffer with is plantar fasciitis – a sharp shooting pain felt on the sole of your foot with each step, and this is purely the result of the overworking muscles in the foot causing the fascia to become inflamed, as a result of “clenching” the flip-flops!
So to make life easier for everyone – if you’re lounging about then flip-flops are great, if you’re going on a longer walk, change your footwear to something that stays on your foot a bit better!