There’s no feeling like slipping into a pair of flip-flops to let your feet breathe after a long day of wearing sneakers or dress shoes. And, if you’ve spending more time at home due to Covid-19, you may be wearing them right now, but one podiatrist highlights the potential dangers of wearing them every day, from blisters to plantar fasciitis, and more.
1.You could sprain your ankle
Those rubber flip-flops you picked up for cheap are fine for the beach, but you won’t want to wear them all day. They have virtually no arch support, which means your feet will start to turn toward the middle of your body instead of staying straight. When that happens, you’re more likely to sprain your ankle, says Eunice Ramsey-Parker, DPM, MPH, associate professor of podiatric medicine and clinic administrator of the Foot Center of New York. “They won’t trip over anything, but because they don’t have support, they twist their ankle in or out,” she says.
2.You foot could get inflamed
Even if you’re extra careful and don’t twist your foot, that lack of arch support could hurt your feet. Without the right support, your plantar, the band of tissue in the arch of your foot, will start to pull. That pulling inflames the tissue, making your arch red and painful from a condition called plantar fasciitis.
3.Foot problems could run bone-deep
With too many bouts of plantar fasciitis, your body will start producing new bone to try to heal the pulling. With more bone than the body needs, a buildup called a heel spur could develop on the back or bottom of your heel.
4.Objects could poke through your foot
It doesn’t take long for a pair of cheap flip-flops to get worn down to practically nothing. Once the heel and toe start to depress, it’s easy for nails, glass, and other dangerous objects on the ground to poke through. But the flip-flops themselves create a bigger problem that a tetanus shot won’t protect against. “Part of the shoe [can] actually become embedded in their foot and create a foreign body,” says Dr. Ramsey-Parker. “The body heals very quickly and they’re still having pain. On an X-ray we can see the shadow of a small piece of rubber in the foot.” At that point, surgery is your only option.
5.You’ll change your stride
Your body is trained to use the heel-toe stride of normal shoes. When you switch that up, your body will naturally start taking smaller strides to keep you stable, says Dr. Ramsey-Parker. “It’s going to be very halted, very pressured steps,” she says.
6.You could cause a car accident
Driving in flip-flops could put you at higher risk of an accident. The flip-flops can break or slide off your foot, get stuck under the gas pedal, and make it impossible to stop, says Dr. Ramsey-Parker.
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Source: TheHealthy
