When it comes to summer footwear, flip flops are the most popular on the market. Yet, doctors give numerous reasons why people shouldn’t wear them or at least not to excess. People who wear flip flops are more susceptible to staph infections because of all of the things they pick up and the fact that your feet are exposed. They pick up all kinds of materials including feces and human spit.
Researcher David Kinney, PhD., tested flip-flops that were worn for four days on the streets of New York City. Not surprisingly, the footwear harbored over 18,000 bacteria. It only takes one to make you sick!
If the staph bacteria seeps into a cut onto your foot, then you can expect some very unpleasant side effects, including death!
David Kinney also found that bacteria normally found in the mouth ended up on the flip-flops. That’s because people are spitting onto the ground, and then you’re stepping on it. What if that person happened to be sick?
Yuck – that’s definitely something extra important to think about!
Other reasons to avoid wearing flip-flops include:
– They can make bunions worse.
– They are usually made of toxic materials.
– The thin strap scraping against the top of your foot can give you awful blisters.
– Since your foot hits the ground with more force, flip-flops can destroy your heels.
– The biomechanics of flip-flops are bad for your posture.
– If you’re flat-footed, then you need arch support. Flip-flops don’t have any, which means wearing them can lead to unwelcome shooting pains in your hips and lower back.
The research also showed that expensive flip flops are no better than the ones you buy for five bucks.