Osteopathic Commentary – Flip Flop Fiasco!
Flip-flop sandals are an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner’s worst enemy—or closest friend, depending on how you look at it! I remind my patients regularly how harmful flip-flops can be for their bodies, not just their feet.
I know flip-flops, especially the thong sandal, are comfortable and cool to wear, but mechanically, they do much more harm than good.
Why are they so bad?
When you walk in a sandal, you have to hang on to it by curling your toes. When you do this, you tighten the entire musculature of your foot.
As the muscles contract to keep the flip-flop on, the 26 bones of the feet and the plantar fascia (on the bottom of the foot) all suffer. In essence, what was once a cushioned shock absorber for your body turns into a rigid hoof (yep, let that visual sink in).
As your foot moves less, your ankle, calf, knee, hip, and lower back take more and more strain.
The two busiest times of the year for foot and lower leg problems? The start of summer and—yep—you guessed it, March Break. This is when flip-flops come out of hibernation.
The only thing worse?
People attempting to run barefoot on the beach during March Break! The torque on the feet in shifting sand is far from the romantic notion we all envision.
But that’s a whole other blog!
If you refuse to ditch your flip-flops…
✅ Roll out the bottom of your feet.
✅ Stretch those calves.
✅ And maybe book an appointment with your Osteopathic Manual Practitioner!