Flip flops: yes or no? The heads and tails of a typically summer shoe

In summer, in addition to our clothes, we also change our shoes. After months of being protected by socks and boots, our feet are more exposed than ever.. That is why we must take a series of precautions to avoid contracting infections and some other pathology that can cause us to end up in the podiatrist's office.

Points in favor of the use of flip flops

Flip flops are more than recommended footwear for spaces where we can find puddled water such as common showers, access to swimming pools and the area around the pool, changing rooms…. Mainly because its use will prevent slips and falls and because it will protect our feet from infections.

The most commons are:

• Fungus. The most common foot fungus infections can be basically divided into two: athlete's foot and tinea pedis, but the first one is undoubtedly the most common.. Wearing a pair of flip-flops in swimming pools and changing rooms is the best way to prevent infection, in addition to drying the spaces between and under your toes well with a towel. Fortunately, its contagion is not something serious, but it is very annoying because the area will itch a lot and injuries can occur if the skin cracks.
• Papillomavirus or HPV. Getting infected with this virus is very easy, especially in summer because the number of people who go to changing rooms and swimming pools multiplies, and the best way to prevent it is to always use flip flops, not share shoes or towels and keep your feet dry. Despite the fact that its name, human papillomavirus, reminds us of an STD that can cause cancer, it should be remembered that HPV is a family of more than 200 types of virus and in the case of the cousin of the feet it will be limited to cause an annoying and painful plantar wart that will not have worse consequences.

Points against the use of flip flops

As we have seen, flip flops can help us avoid suffering from some of the main foot pathologies, but we should never abuse them.. Its use must be limited exclusively to changing rooms, beaches and swimming pools.. If we use them to walk for long distances, it would not be strange if we suffered any of the following problems:

• tendon inflammation. When walking with flip flops we have a tendency to curve our fingers to hold them, we put them in a claw, also the steps we take are shorter due to this lack of adequate support and we unconsciously make a greater effort when walking which means continually tensing muscles and tendons. That will end up inflaming them and causing pain.
• plantar fasciitis. Flip-flops, along with a large part of summer footwear such as ballerinas, ballerinas or espadrilles, are very flat footwear that does not respect the natural unevenness of the plantar arch.. As a consequence, there is an extra effort and tension in the musculature of the sole of the foot when walking, in the plantar fascia, which is stretched and will end up causing inflammation and significant pain.
• Ankle sprain. A flip-flop does not hold the foot properly, and if it is one of those that only has a vertical piece that is inserted between two fingers and a horizontal strip that goes from side to side, known as flip-flop, even worse.. That little support of the foot generates a significant instability of the gait, who has not turned the flip-flop and has ended up with the heel stepping outside, and that very easily leads to sprains, trips and falls.

As a conclusion, we must use flip flops but never abuse them. We will limit their use to the spaces for which they have been designed, and if the walk to the pool or the beach is long, we will change them for another shoe that supports the foot, provides stability and has an insole that respects the plantar arch.