There is more than one kind of flip flop. But, this thread is about the shoes called “Flip Flops” that some people wear in the summer.
You may think I’m being unnecessarily alarmist. But I have seen some people suffer some very strange mishaps while wearing these kinds of shoes. So, I think it’s may be worth being careful when wearing these things and it might be worth posting a warning to people to be careful while wearing them.
I never liked them for several reasons. The main reason is that I think people may become accident prone while wearing them and I just want to suggest that it may be worth while to be careful when wearing these things.
Have any of you suffered any mishaps due to these things?
I wear flip-flops quite a lot, but i wear them places where they are appropriate, like the beach. I certainly don’t wear them while walking on mountain trails or lookouts. To be honest, it seems like lack of care and attention were a bigger problem than flip-flops for the woman in your story.
On a somewhat less dramatic but still important note:
I remember reading some comments from a foot doctor who said he’d been seeing more and more orthopedic problems in young adults in recent years. He said that much of it could be traced to the fact that kids/teenagers were using flip-flops as everyday wear, when they were really only meant to be pool/beach wear, and didn’t provide the kind of support that everyday shoes did.
(Get this: quite a few years ago, on one of the coldest days that particular December, I had just seen The Nutcracker and was waiting to be seated in a restaurant. A family came in and one of the teenagers was wearing flip-flops…IN TWENTY-DEGREE WEATHER!)
I don’t think you are being overly alarmist. I jumped down from about a two foot height and snagged the leading edge of my flip flop and did severe damage to my ankle & lower leg. Cracked the fibula but the soft tissue damage was far worse.
Wouldn’t have happened if I were wearing closed toe shoes. I doubt it would’ve happened with sturdy sandals like Teva or Chacos.
Did I learn my lesson? I’m wearing flip flops as I type :smack:
Is there a scientific study to back up this assertion? The rise of obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and the obiquity of cheaply-constructed footwear greatly muddle this issue.
Yeah, even if we restrict it to footwear concerns, i reckon it must go well beyond flip-flops. Half the teens and hipsters around here, for example, wear Vans. Have you ever tried on a pair? They’re the most uncomfortable, flat-footed, unsupported, crappy footwear i’ve ever had the displeasure of wearing.
I don’t wear flip flops. That thong thing is irritating
However, I have my doubts about flip-flops being responsible for orthopedic issues. As everyone probably knows (and is probably tired of hearing), I am avid walker. Six miles a day, sometimes even longer. Deck shoes are my walking shoe of choice. They don’t have any cushioning or anything. And I even have an odd gait and feet that supinate.
But my feet haven’t fallen off yet. My feet are great, as are my legs and back. Maybe tomorrow I’ll say something different though. I am almost middle-aged now.
I wear them only in the showers of foreign lands, where I then usually leave them since they’re the footwear of choice. I’ve walked thousands of miles on terrain and treadmill in basic Tevas with no problems whatsoever.
I never understood how people wear flip flops anyway. I always feel like I have to curl my toes to keep the things from flying off my foot.
I once tried to drive with flip flops on. I felt like I was about to sign my death warrant so I opted to just take the things off and drive bare footed. (My best option at the time. I wasn’t too thrilled about having to drive bare footed either.)
I hate them, and only wear them (i) in the shower at my gym, and (ii) at the beach. And by ‘at the beach’, I mean specifically when I’m on the sand. I walk to & from the beach in sandals then put on the flip-flops, b/c I don’t like the feeling of sand in my sandals.