Flip Flop Warning

By Lynn Difley

Although many consider our life style to be of the casual sort, one that would welcome footwear that suggests beach, leisure, and fun, the RV lifestyle is not a good fit with the hazardous rubber sandal, the flip-flop. I am on a rampage against flip flops this week and I hope none of you are selling or have invested in the popular beach shoe, because I am about to plead for a ban on flip flops.

This is all because Hannah, a regular student of mine, a small but feisty 84 year old showed up for class with a nasty looking black eye, a gash on her forehead and scrapes on her shoulder and hand.

“What happened “ we all asked, and she sheepishly replied, “well I went out to get the mail in my flip flops, in too much of a hurry to put on my walking shoes, and one of the steps was slippery with some leaves and next thing I knew I was down.”

It is a testimony to her strength and fitness that she didn’t break anything, or dislocate any joints, but her fall serves as a good warning for all of us. It is a fact of life that as we get older, the likelihood of our falling increases, particularly if steps are not taken to improve our balance and to reduce the hazards around us.

“Flip flops have single-handedly caused more problems with people’s feet in the last few years than any other kind of shoe,” says Dr. Rock Positano, a podiatrist at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery. He sees about five to 10 flip flop caused injuries a week, injuries that are the direct result of wearing flip flops in place of normal walking shoes.

“The problem is that these shoes have absolutely no support, the foot is able to go in any direction and the shoe impairs the ability of the foot to function as a shock absorption body part,” Positano explains. In addition to causing falls, flip flops will aggravate previous foot problems, such as high arches or flat feet. With long-term usage, there is the possibility of developing chronic tendonitis or overuse injuries not only in the ankle, but also the knee, hip, and back.

Researchers who studied those who wear flip flops found that they take shorter steps, creating more stress on the body as the natural stride is altered to accommodate the shoes. Toes also are a problem with flip-flop fans. You scrunch your toes up to keep them on. This constant pressure adds up to an overuse injury, creating tenderness in the toes and even “claw foot,” a condition in which the toes are locked into a curled under position.

All in all, we would all be wise to take the flip flops out of our RVs altogether, and replace them with a sturdy walking shoe, which we would then use to take short, medium, and long walks, no increased risk of falling, foot injury, or fallen arches. Out with the flip flops and march on safely.