Flip-flops can cause foot problems

The impact flip-lops have on the way people walk was the focus of a recent study at Auburn University by Justin Shroyer, a graduate student in the Department of Kinesiology.

The approximately three-month study by Shroyer and other researchers indicated that overuse of flip-flops can lead to orthopedic problems.

“The study was conducted on students ranging from 19 to 25 years of age who were asked to wear a thong-style flip-flop one day and regular athletic sneakers the next,” said Shroyer, a biomechanics student. “The main purpose of the study was to determine if you change the way you walk when wear flip-flops.”

Some of the variables the researchers took into account were joint angles of the foot and lower leg as well the force with which the foot struck the ground of the walker.

And the study concluded that people indeed do change their walking mechanics when they wear flip-flops.

“When people walk in flip-flops they alter their gait, which can result in pain from the foot up into the hips and lower back,” said Shroyer, whose analysis took a look at the act of walking in various phases.

“In the first phase of walking, the heel makes contact with the ground followed by the toes,” said Shroyer. “When you’re running, or in the flight phase, both feet are momentarily off the ground.”

The study also indicated that flip-flop wearers took shorter steps and didn’t bring their toes up as much possibly in an attempt to grip the flip-flops with their toes.

That amounts to flip-flop wearers taking a longer time to commute from one point to another on foot, a point Shroyer said is of particular interest considering the fact that AU has become a more pedestrian-oriented campus.

And according to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), the lack of foot support flip-flops provide can lead to foot pain when worn for a significant amount of time because unlike sturdier shoes, they don’t have adequate arch support, heel cushioning and shock absorption.

A point that Paul J. Ciavarelli of the Alabama Foot Care Center P.C. agrees with, pointing out that the environment in which the flip-flops are worn is also an important variable.
“Maybe wearing flip-flops around the house won’t make much of a difference but if a person were walking for an extended amount of time over varying terrain, they might develop pain or irritation their feet or ankles over time,” Ciavarelli said.

Age and overall susceptibility to injury are other factors that might play a role in whether or not people who wear flip-flops experience foot or ankle pain according to Ciavarelli.

While the study doesn’t condemn thong-style flip-flops, Shroyer said it’s probably a good idea to limit how much one wears them and replace them from time to time.

“Like athletic or any other type of shoe, over time the materials in flip-flops break down,” said Shroyer.