When summer comes we forget closed shoes and bare our feet. The use of flip flops and clogs is essential to combat the heat, and we even opt for this shoe for the little ones. However, experts warn that a prolonged use of this type of footwear can cause problems, affecting not only the way we walk, but also the feet, the spine, the hip or the knees.
And it is that on many occasions, parents let us be guided by the colorful and comfort to dress the feet of our children, without being aware of the potential risks for your health that abusive use may have.
The way of walking is modified
When adults, and especially children, we walk with flip flops, as they do not wear any type of restraint, we tighten our fingers and we force to lift the footwear and keep it in place at every step. This causes great tension in the entire foot and a lack of cushioning in the heel.
The tension of the fingers can cause blisters and claw fingers, and the lack of support in the ankle alters our way and pace of walking and, in the long term, we may cause biomechanical problems in the back and knees.
Dr. César Galo García Fontecha, a specialist in Pediatric Orthopedics at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, the Corachán Clinic and the Delfos Hospital in Barcelona, explains:
"The child walks, runs, jumps and plays continuously so that the footwear should pick up the foot and not get out easily. Several biomechanical studies show that footwear that does not hold the foot, such as flip flops, cause inappropriate gestures in the foot and fingers to avoid losing footwear when walking or running. This interferes with the gait process and can cause foot and ankle injuries. "
It causes plantar fasciitis
The tension with which we walk and the stiffness in the inner part of the heel, makes the plantar fascia is stretched and overloaded too much, causing inflammation and pain. This lesion in the fascia of the foot is known as plantar fasciitis and it is typical that it occurs after the continuous use of flip flops or flat shoes.
Achilles tendon problems
Since the foot does not have any type of support when we wear flip flops, the heel is totally unprotected and this can affect the Achilles tendon, one of the weakest fibers in the foot.
The tendon overloads, hurts and can even break, causing discomfort and tension in the twins, knees and even the hips and vertebrae.
Dermatological infections
Wearing flip flops almost completely bare feet and feet. exposes environmental elements continuously, causing the skin to be dry, rough and cracked and favoring the appearance of infections.
The heels can start to crack and the cracks and fissures, together with the dust and dirt of the streets, are the perfect combination for the entry of germs and infections on the skin.
The way to avoid it would be to keep the feet always clean, use moisturizers (a use that we should not limit to adults, since the feet of the little ones dry out and suffer the same) and cover any open wounds that exist, facing prevent it from becoming infected with the dirt on the ground we lift when walking.
Skin may burn
This is a very important point to highlight and which we are rarely aware of. With flip flops, the feet are totally exposed to the sun and are susceptible to burns. And if not, raise your hand who has never burned the insteps!
Therefore, it is very important that when we wear flip flops or put them on our children, we previously protect the skin of the feet with a high-factor sunscreen.
Sprained ankle and other accidents
And if all this were not enough, the null restraint offered by flip flops makes us more likely to suffer sprained ankle and falls or trips which can end in fracture.
This occurs especially in children, whose walking is unstable the smaller they are, and whose vitality and carefreeness can lead them to do exercises, jumps, races or any other activity with less suitable footwear.
In addition, by bringing our fingers to the air, we are more easily hit or stepped on and suffer trauma, injuries or injuries to the nails.
"The most frequent injuries we find are traumatic. Among them are the erosions and wounds between first and second fingers by the strip that holds the flip flop, or in fingers, back of the foot and in plan to lose the footwear. Too frequent ankle sprains due to poor support or limb injuries due to falls"- Doctor Fontecha alerts.
The advice of the experts
To avoid injuries and damages it is important to know how the child's foot is evolving according to his stage of growth and to look for a correct footwear for each age. And, in this as in many other things, it should be remembered that children are not "miniature adults."
"We can consider that by four years the foot is already mature from a mechanical point of view and by 10 years it already presents an anatomy similar to that of the adult" - comments the expert."He The child's foot is in development and requires adequate biomechanical stimuli for it. This is especially important during the first years of life, which is when the motor skills of walking, running and jumping are developed "- Dr. Fontecha reminds us.
Therefore, to take care of the smallest feet it is important to follow these tips:
- Must adapt the footwear to the activity that we are going to carry out and wear shoes with restraint when we go for a walk, exercise or walk on asphalt
"To allow the correct development of the child's foot, the footwear must be flexible, pick up the foot well so that it does not come off easily and must not carry any type of interior insole" - advises the Doctor.
"A flexible footwear provides complete mobility of the joints of the foot allowing adaptation to the irregularities of the ground and allows the correct biomechanical stimulation for the development of the muscles"
- Limit the use of flip flops or shoes exclusively for beach and pool. This type of rubber footwear is perfect to avoid burning with sand or soil, slipping with water or getting papillomas or plantar warts.
Even so, the expert recommends that the flip flops always wear some type of support with velcro or rubber that picks up the child's foot.
It is essential to air the foot so that perspire in summer, but instead of flip flops we can resort to sandals or other semi-open footwear that holds the ankle and whose sole allows to cushion the steps
And if we resort to the timely use of crocs, It is important that we do not fall for imitations since the success of this product lies, above all, in its manufacturing material. The imitations use plastic or rubber, which prevents perspiration, causes the foot to sweat and drain and this causes injuries, blisters and chafing.
In addition, Dr. Fontecha advises to take into account the following, regarding the use of crocs:
"This type of footwear provides greater protection to the foot, especially to the toes and backs of the foot, but still have the disadvantage that the child is barefoot very easily running or jumping "
"One way to avoid it is to pick up from behind with a rubber band or velcro band, and if not, the problem can be minimized if the heel cup is deep to give some back support "
In summary, and how the expert tells us, the balance between comfort and protection must be sought especially when it is very hot, but do not forget that the foot of the growing child is fragile and as such we must protect it.
"In general, we can say that flip flops and shoes that do not hold the foot, are not appropriate for the child because they do not adequately fulfill the protective functions and force biomechanical changes in the march to avoid losing the footwear" - summarizes the Doctor FontechaIStock photos
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