Treat Your Feet with Respect: 4 Adverse Effects of Wearing Flip-Flops

Flip-flops are easy to slide on in the summer, so you may find yourself wearing them day after day. Unfortunately, flip-flops aren’t the best choice for long-term use. Wearing this type of footwear too frequently might harm your feet and your whole body.

Flip-flops don’t surround your feet with much material. Furthermore, their thin soles put your feet quite close to the ground. After a day of wearing flip-flops, you might notice that your feet have gotten really dirty. With that dirt may come a host of microbes: bacteria, fungi, and more. Exposing your feet to all of these microorganisms can be especially problematic if you have cuts or other sores on your feet that could become infected.

Many flip-flops have a thin strip of material that goes between two of your toes. It can rub up against your skin again and again throughout the day. The friction may leave behind a raw spot or a blister. Not only are such sores uncomfortable, but they can also leave your feet more prone to infection.

When you wear loose flip-flops, you may have to grip the shoes with your toes in order to keep them in place. Because of this, you may have to alter your normal stride by taking smaller steps, and you may be more likely to trip or stumble. Curling your toes to hold onto your shoes also places an unnatural strain on your toes. Therefore, you may become more susceptible to serious foot problems like hammertoe and bunions. Not only can this be painful, but you may eventually need corrective surgery.

Thin flip-flop soles don’t provide arch support or heel cushioning. The effects of insubstantial soles can spread throughout your whole body. As for as your feet go, one potential problem you could face is plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the foot that can lead to sharp heel pain. In addition to foot pain, you might start to experience tendonitis in your ankles. Your posture could start to shift, and you could develop pain in your knees, hips, or back.

If you’ve been guilty of wearing flip-flops too often, it’s time to make an appointment with a foot doctor. Although you may not yet be experiencing obvious problems, a doctor can look for subtle signs of foot damage and provide tips on the best shoe styles to wear this summer.