Evil Soles

When a client that says their feet and legs are killing them, before I ask a bunch of questions, I look at their shoes.  Running shoes that look like the dog used them for a chew toy, soles that are worn more on one side than the other, 4-inch stillettos and the like are all culprits of back, hips and lower extremity pain. Since this is sandal weather (at least when it isn't raining cats and dogs) there are a lot of really bad footwear choices to be had, but the $3 bargain pair of flip flops is hands down the worst shoe around......unless you are a massage therapist, then it is one of our top money makers.  Seriously.

The everyday run of the mill flip flops are the ones you grab on vacation to wear at the beach.  You know the ones that have about a 1/2 inch thick foam bottom with a rubber thong that goes between your big toe and the second toe aka the little piggy that stayed home?   These sandals are cheap footwear, but what happens when you sport these babies for extended periods of time?  You are forced to grip the flip flops with your toes in order to keep them on your feet..... and then you get foot and toe cramps from the gripping.  Then the gripping attacks the lower leg muscles...and so on and so on til every body part below your scalp feels icky.  Sometimes the thong rubs blisters between the toes or across the top of the foot.  This might cause you to walk more gingerly in effort to guard the sore spot and then you run the risk of postural imbalance and/or compensation pain.  Having no ankle support invites inadvertant twists and related injuries.  Remember the song that points out how each bone is attached to another bone?  Twas a goofy song but it is correct!

My analogy on flip flops should put these shoes of Satan into focus for you.  Imagine yourself driving cross-country on a bumpy terrain without good shock absorbers on your vehicle.  Now envision this rough ride without a seatbelt to secure you in the vehicle.  Then replace your plush car seats with boulder-like seats from Fred Flintstone's car and you will get a pretty good idea of what wearing flip flops will do to your body.

Still think flip flops are a bargain?  Factor in the massages necessary to ease tension, the prescription and OTC drugs needed for pain relief, physician visits if you do more than strain muscles......those $3 shoes got considerably more expensive, eh?  The choice is yours of course, but I am happy to have the business if you insist. :)