Flip Flop 101: The Best Features To Avoid Foot Pain
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Your winter boots and furry slippers are at the back of the closet now, replaced by sandals and flip flops.
They're fun and easy, but as CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports, flip flops can be hard on your feet if you don't know what to look for.
But with so many styles to choose from, doctors say many of us are wearing the wrong type of flip flops. And that can lead to foot injury, such as tendonitis, blisters and rashes, according to podiatrist Neal Frankel.
"It's good for the podiatry business, let's put it that way," he says.
Frankel and Tellez staked out Millennium Park, where the flip flops were flopping, to separate the good from the bad.
The first pair they examined was the classic, flat rubbers flip flops.
"These are the worst, OK?" Frankel says. "Number one, they're very flimsy, there's no support whatsoever. Number two, they're made out of rubber. So they're very hot. There's no breathing at all."
And Frankel warns consumers should be careful of the thong that goes between the toes.
He says when the flip flop is flimsy and flat, your arches suffer. Frankel says a rubber bottom is just fine. But a rubber insole is sure to make your foot sweaty.
And while plastic decorations are OK, plastic straps are sure to pinch. You'll want to avoid them and look for straps made of leather or fabric.
Frankel says a good pair of flip flops can actually help correct foot problems, which makes them not only easy to wear but therapeutic.
Click here for tips from the American Podiatric Association.
