A podiatrist explains why flip-flops are terrible for your feet

Updated May 31, 20172 Mins read301

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Podiatric surgeon Dr. Jacqueline Sutera explains why flip-flops aren’t sensible footwear, and outlines some of the long-term consequences of overwearing them. Following is a transcript of the video.

Flip-flops are really bad, again, because they’re very flat, and they’re super thin.

There’s just those thin little thong straps that are holding your foot to the shoe. When you’re wearing the flip-flop, your toes tend to overgrip a little bit and that can cause a lot of different types of pains, especially if you overuse them.

They really should be reserved for just poolside and the beach and kind of just casual, not for everyday, walking around.

You can develop plantar fasciitis, which is a common one. That just means that there is inflammation at the bottom of the foot. There’s a ligament called your plantar fascia, and that runs along your whole entire arch.

So, arch pain, heel pain — if you have bunions and hammertoes flip-flops can make them a lot worse because, again, you’re overgripping. And, even different types of tendonitis and ankle sprain, because you’re not really stable inside that shoe.

A bunion is basically a dislocation of the big toe joint. There’s a bony prominence, like a big red bump that starts to form on the big toe joint on the side. This can lead to all kinds of problems. You don’t fit well into your shoes, you’ll start having pain when you walk, and it’ll also start to contribute to different other problems like hammertoes, and corns, and things like that.

The good news is that there’s some versions of those flip-flops that are better than others. So, look for a type that has a thicker sole, maybe a little bit thicker strap, and definitely has, like, an arch support. And, there’s really great brands that have that.

$Heels put more pressure on the ball of your foot: Your upright foot is used to balancing on both its front and its back, so when you tilt it into your favorite black stilettos, it’s no wonder your forefoot starts to feel so much more pressure. According to Jane Pontious, DPM, chair of the department of podiatric surgery at Temple University, this pain in the joints in the ball of the foot, known as metatarsalgia, can even lead to stress fractures over time. The good news is that you can easily decrease the pain by decreasing your heel’s height. Research from the Spinal Health Institute shows that while three-inch heels put 76 percent of your foot’s pressure on your forefoot, two-inch heels decrease the pressure to about 57 percent, and one-inch heels lower it to 22 percent. That’s cutting the pain by more than half with a decrease of just two inches. Here’s what your <a href="http://www.rd.com/advice/saving-money/13-things-your-shoe-salesman-wont-tell-you/1">shoe salesperson is secretly thinking</a> about you.$ 8 Horrible Things High Heels Do to Your Body (provided by Reader’s Digest)