The Dangers Of Flip-Flops ... In Footwear!

Dr. Mallika Marshall Spells Them Out; Has Steps You Can Take To Help Steer Clear Of Risk

(CBS)  Summer is primetime for "flip-flops" (no, not the ones made by politicians!), but they can actually pose safety and health risks.

On The Early Show Saturday, medical contributor Dr. Mallika Marshall went through them, and had some do's and don'ts for wearers of the cool, comfy footwear.

Flip-flops aren't just for the beach anymore. You now see them all over - and on men as well as women.

But Marshall says they don't come without a possible price to the well-being of your feet.

The growing use of the thin-soled, rubber slippers increases chances of serious foot problems, from damage from dropped objects and stubbed toes, to ankle and insole woes caused by their lack of support.

According to Marshall:

Preliminary research from Auburn University shows that the thin soles and the need to grasp the shoes onto our feet force us to walk differently, and could cause problems with legs, knees, hips and backs.

The lack of support offered by flip-flops can cause problems with arches and heels.

Their lack of protection means toes can be badly injured if someone steps on them, or drops something on your foot.

And now, some doctors are warning of a new danger - skin cancer, as the sun is suddenly hits an area that's usually well-covered.

Falling Objects

When you wear flip-flops, your toes and feet are exposed, making them susceptible to falling objects or people stepping on your toes. Doctors are seeing more nail injuries and broken or bruised toes, which wouldn't happen if you covered the front of your feet.

Thin Soles

Flip-flops don't offer much in the way of support: no arch support, no heel cushioning, and no shock absorption. That can cause foot pain, tendonitis, and even sprained ankles if you trip.

Thong Effect

The Auburn study indicates that the thongs in the middle mean you have to grip the shoe to keep it on. The thong can actually rub against the skin and causes ulcerations and sores. Also, when you have a toe thong, you tend to grip the shoe with your toes to try and keep it on. That alters your gait and puts strain on muscles you don't normally use when you walk in regular shoes.

Also, a recent study found that men and women who wear flip-flops actually strike the ground with less force than when they wear sneakers, again altering the way you walk and causing you to take shorter steps, which may account for why people who wear them for extended periods experience lower leg pain and have more heel problems, such as heel spurs (little bony growths on the heel) and plantar strain (inflammation of the sheet of tissue covering the bottoms of the feet).

Skin Cancer

Your foot skin is exposed to the sun with flip-flops and people often forget to put sunscreen on their feet. Skin cancer on the feet can be really, dangerous because the spots are easier to miss, especially if they're between the toes.

People More Prone To Problems

Anyone with existing foot injuries shouldn't wear flip-flops. People with diabetes, who are at higher risk of infection and toe injury, shouldn't wear them. And anyone who's significantly overweight needs more support in their shoes, because they tend to put more stress on their feet, ankles and lower back.

Decreasing the Dangers

Use sun block and check your feet for any suspicious moles.

Don't walk long distances in your flip-flops - they're really made for walking along the beach or by the pool or if you get into a public shower, not for long strolls.

And choose flip-flops with thick soles, which will provide more cushion for your feet and protect you from sharp objects you might encounter on the street.

So, enjoy your flip-flops, but just not all the time and without giving them any thought!

[kennedy7955]

My god, what they will call news nowadays.

[wastedaway1]

Hey I Blew out a flipflop...stepped on a POPTOP...
Cut my heel and had to Cruise on back home...
Be Careful

[understars]

I wear flipflops every day- yes even in the winter, and i''m fine. I actually take better care of my feet when I wear them. -%u2665-

[killer139]

WOW people are dying everyday from diseases we can''t cure and people are funding a study on flip flops!!!!
FN GREAT. Hey if your fat lose the weight it''s not the shoes. They should fire the people in charge of this study for being assanine enough to do it.....How *** rediculous. So you are telling me that if you drop something on your feet and they are uncoverd it will hurt more THANKS FOR THE INFO!!!! Hey the sun is bright the daytime and at night it is dark where is my grant money for that study DUUUUUUHHHHH!!!!!
JACKASSES!!!

[texanforlogi]

The article didn''t mention flip-flops on wet concrete (like sidewalks) make for about the best Three Stooges-like pratfalls. Awful to experience but a hoot to see. Keep ''em dry, folks!

[jusdane]

Medical propaganda at it''s best. What a joke. I guess they want us wearing steel-toed shoes all the time. Also funny they insist we use (their recommended) sunscreen when skin cancer is at an all-time high . . . and the only difference compared to lower rates twenty plus years ago is THE SUNSCREEN. psst - don''t rub chemically laced lotions on your bodies, they''re more dangerous than the sun they''re supposedly protecting you from.

You point out yourself that your case is atypical, artisan004, so what is your alleged point? This article applies to average, undamaged people.


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Posted by cneron at 08:46 PM : Jun 21, 2008

My point is that even with a damaged foot, near 30 years of almost full-time flip-flop wear has not caused any problems and in fact has helped my feet (if you''d paid closer attention). You must be part of the alfalfa sprout sissie group.

[keithle1]

It''s part of the uniform for women in the summer. Even those working in an office.

[mahdeealoo]

Isn''t the human body designed to NOT wear shoes? The shoe/boot/sandal is not built into our DNA, it is imposed upon the body by the creative process of the mind. Along with bras, girdles, jock straps, skin tight jeans and the like, creating breast cancer, jock itch, stomach aches and ovarian cysts. Wake up and pay attention to what you body is telling you! Pay no attention to that moron sitting upon your shoulders between your ears.

[sociald63]

cr-a-p ... i thought they were talking about women''s bathing suit :(

[grammawhamma]

Ahhh...I am so glad I don''t live my life in fear of flip flops. There are so much more important things in life to worry about. Maybe the big pharma will make a pill to cure flip flop addiction. Seriously people get a life.

[idnnsg]

I just happened to notice the following incongruity:

"
Decreasing the Dangers

Use sun block and ...
"

Uhh, wouldn''t that make the thong slippery, thus Increasing the danger?

[ubrew12]

The stock market is following the housing market into meltdown. Those with the money are bidding the price of oil into the stratosphere. McSame thinks we should roll back 20 years of environmental protections and drill in some of the most pristine places in America. We''ve invaded Iraq for oil, now we''re about to invade Iran for the same reason. The prez illegally intervened in the EPA''s business to keep California from raising auto gas mileage standards (which would lower our demand for oil). Cell phone companies who sold your conversations to the CIA will get off scott-free. Americans just lost $4 trillion in private real-estate wealth (another $4 trillion to come). Compared to the average citizen in China or Europe, Americans are worth HALF what they were 8 years ago, and pay 4 times more in gas.

But, wait!! This just in from our corporate-owned media. An event so important, it just HAS to push these other minor new items off to the back of the billboard:

Flip-flops are dangerous (NO! we don''t mean the kind John Kerry is accused of performing! Even though we made that up, too!) Actually, flip-flops can hurt your feet. Yeah. No, really. OK. Thanks.

[tryhonesty]

Ah, this type of shoe is what McCain has promoted for years...

[justsane-2009]

So, your seemingly innocuous, cutesy post exhibits a lack of deep thinking as well an ignorance of evolutionary fact that exemplifies the mentality of the clock-stoppers. Thanks for sharing.

Posted by bobgee_1999

did i get you correctly? you are demanding deep thinking in response to a silly article about flip-flops? apparently you are taking this issue waaaaay too seriously...

[kennergirl]

Somebody better call Jimmy Buffet!

[bobgee_1999]

cbscrash07:

Cavemen were cavemen. We''ve evolved since then (some of us, anyway), and so have our feet. Also, our habits have changed. Still, there is no reason to think that cavemen were immune to fallen arches, tooth decay, gallstones, etc.; they just had to deal with it and live miserable lives. Then again, humans died so early during the Paleolithic era that they might not have had time to develop the maladies that modern man gets in exchange for his longer lifespan.

So, your seemingly innocuous, cutesy post exhibits a lack of deep thinking as well an ignorance of evolutionary fact that exemplifies the mentality of the clock-stoppers. Thanks for sharing.

[Syndicate]

How did cave men ever get buy without supportive soles?

I lost my left heelbone in a motrcycle accident in 1978. I cannot run around barefoot because of the missing bone not protecting the more tender tissue deep in the foot. Because my gait is already altered shoes hurt my feet greatly. I have been wear Rainbow Original flip-flops since 1979 (except at work). If anything, the act of walking and keeping the "flips" on has made my feet stronger. This article is just more whining by the same bunch of sissies that tout vitamins and a diet of tree bark w/alfalfa sprouts.

[haoli25]

Okay, it''s back to the wingtips and brown socks at the beach for me.