The Dangers of the Flip-Flops
Manolo says, the Instapundit man has linked to this article about the dangers of wearing the flip-flops.
“Flip-flops have singlehandedly caused more problems with people’s feet in the last couple years than probably any other type of shoe,” said Dr. Rock Positano, a podiatrist at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery.
Lori Geller broke her ankle wearing flip-flops. “The ground was wet, so my foot slipped off and turned.”
Geller is certainly not alone.
“I was at the supermarket, and I slipped in my flip-flops on cottage cheese and really hurt myself,” said Tiffany Andreade of an embarrassing fall.
These women and others may be heading feet first into a world of short- and long-term foot problems. Positano sees about five to 10 flip-flop related injuries a week — injuries he believes are a direct result of women wearing flip-flops in place of normal walking shoes.
“The problem with this is absolutely no support & the foot is able to go in any direction it wants to go in, and it directly impairs the ability of the foot to function as a shock absorbing part of the body,” Positano explained.
That the flip-flops are dangerous is not news to the long-time readers of the Manolo’s humble shoe blog.
Here is the example of these dangers. And here is the other. And here is the third.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:51 am
And they’re impossible to keep on your feet. And women wearing them have the strangest gait trying to hold on to them…..
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:08 am
Aieee, the noise of flip floops. To me they are almost as bad as the fingernails on the chalkboard. I should be more tolerant, but it is like the feeling that makes me want to slap someone with Parkinson’s and yell, “Stop shaking damn it. You irritate me!”
August 23rd, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Did anyone else notice the link at the bottom of the article that takes you to a list of flip-flop alternatives? The list includes Crocs! How does the Manolo feel about this?
August 23rd, 2007 at 2:53 pm
My wife is a big fan of flip flops and is always on me to wear them. I keep telling her that they are a complete failure as footwear - they do not hold a traction surface to the bottom of the foot. To me (I know this is heresy on this blog) that is the primary function of any shoe.
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:32 pm
I once got into a car accident because my stupid flip flop got twisted around the pedal. They are also the only reason I own Crocs - for strictly around-the-house walking - so I don’t go barefoot. They actually support my foot, flip flops are torture for my high arches. I own one pair and the only place I wear them is the beach now.
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Flip-flops, in short, make one look like a total slob.
Those hideous pink fluffballs pictured in this entry look ready to spontaneously combust. Rox would not want to see them, nor wish that view upon the worst enemy, after one wearing. Far less fluffy, far less pink, we shall say.
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Flips are HORRIBLE for the feets:
1. ZERO arch support.
2. You will end up wearing one or two sizes larger in your regular shoes if you keep wearing them ALL of the time.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:16 am
Is it wrong that I think those furry pink flip-flops are cute?
…to be worn only in privacy of my home, of course!
August 24th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
LaVida2 I think you are on to something. I lived for 9 years in Hawaii, where there are no end of people whp wear flip flops all the time. Eventually their feet begin to resemble walrus flippers.
August 24th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Funny, I recently rolled and sprained my ankle on my way to the gym while I was wearing sneakers. The only things I’ve been able to wear that causes no pain have been flip flops or athletic sandals, but because those slip easily over the swollen ankle and bandages.
August 25th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
I wear flip flops every day. I, for one, don’t see how they are any more dangerous than say 4 inch stilettos or any other high heel. I twist my ankles far more often wearing those. Oh and maybe get all shoe companies to make decent comfortable, yet stylish, shoes for people that wear higher than a size 7! I wear a womens size 12/13. Try finding affordable stylish shoes in that size that aren’t tennis shoes (which, I might add, I have to buy mens sneakers because they are pretty hard to find in my size)
August 26th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Yes, I agree about the dangers of driving with flip-flops. When I wear flip-flops, I am always plagued with the uneasy feeling that my shoe and foot will not end up in the same spot in space and time.
September 5th, 2007 at 9:48 am
a lady i work with wears these obnoxious pair of flip flops….all day long….flip/flop/flip/flop down the hallway, etc etc. the noise they make drives the rest of us nuts….I have started to call her “flat tire johnson”.. She sounds like a steel belted radial has blown out everytime she walks by….