A recent study by Auburn University researchers, with obviously nothing better to do, have concluded that when wearing flip-flops,“ you scrunch your toes to keep the flip-flop on your foot”.
According to the study, ” this motion, stretches the connective tissue causing inflammation, pain, heel spurs and tired feet from keeping the flip-flop from falling off”, causing long-term ankle and hip problems.
Another report, from Massachusetts General Hospital, agrees: those flip-flops don’t offer much in the way of “arch support, heel cushioning, or shock absorption” and causes foot pain, tendonitis, and sprained ankles if you trip.
Need more proof? A third reason wearing flip-flops can be dangerous, because your toes and feet are exposed to falling objects or people stepping on you, causing nail injuries and bruised or broken toes.
Wait, there‘s more! “Flip-flops leave the tops of the feet vulnerable to sun damage, People frequently forget to apply sunscreen to their feet before wearing flip-flops, causing skin cancer lesions on the feet that can be dangerous because the lesions are easy to miss, especially if they’re between the toes,” according the Massachusetts General’s report.
And the last and final flip-flop problem: is the risk of a painful, or possibly even a fatal, infectious disease as a result of wearing them! A mobile lab set up to test people’s flip-flops and found that they were covered with bacteria from faecal matter, skin, and respiratory germs, as well as microbes that cause yeast infection and “diaper rash”. Even worse, the germ Staphylococcus aureus” can make you very sick or kill you.” according to doctors.
Finally, flip-flops need to be adjusted for comfort because, to state the obvious: “they flop around”. The conclusion: “Shoes protect and support your feet. Flip-flops don’t”.
You have been warned.