It is summer in Houston and the flip flops are everywhere. Who am I kidding? The flip flops were out in spring. Flip flops have become a fashion staple and for us who wear them religiously the latest news will be detrimental.
Brace yourself if you are a flip flop lover. A new study released showed that flip flops may throw off your stride and cause pain in your lower legs and feet.
That's the finding of a study released at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis. Researchers at Auburn University in Alabama recruited 39 college-age men and women and measured how the participants walked on a special platform wearing thong flip-flops.
On another day, the same participants walked across the platform wearing their own athletic shoes. The platform measured stride length and the vertical force at which the walkers' feet hit the ground.
The findings: When participants wore flip-flops, they took shorter strides and their heels hit the ground with less vertical force than when they wore their sneakers.
So what is a flip flop lover to do? I have to admit, I have been a flip flop junkie since college. They are easy and fast. They can be dressy or casual whichever is the need. When I first heard of this report, I have to admit I felt a little betrayed by my flip flop.
My flip flops are designed to make my life easier, not cause me pain. Say it isn't so researchers. Then I went through the denial stage citing that it is an Alabama study after all. How much do they know about flip flops anyway?
Yes, I know they have beaches and big cities, but let me pretend for a minute. I can't tell you how many pairs I own and to say that they could be what was causing the pain in my feet in legs is absurd. I like my first rationalization for the pain-the exercise I am doing.
However, according to some of the researchers flip flops were never meant for extensive daily walking. Especially the kind of walking where you wake up in the morning and put them on and don't take them off until you are home at night.
Apparently, people wear the wrong type of shoes all the time. Walking shoes are actually supposed to be worn when doing extensive walking. Athletic shoes are supposed to be worn during sporting activities. Who knew?
What does this mean for flip flop lovers? Well the findings from the study suggest that if you are experiencing pain in your legs and feet, limit the amount of use of the flip flops.
Also, just like regular shoes, flip flops should be replaced every three to four months. Not sure what that means for my favorite pair of flip flops that I have had since my first year of college. I think they might have to come pry them from my dead, cold fingers.
