Nothing Screams Aussie Summer Like a Pair of Thongs
We like to think practically about this fact and like everything we do, we don’t take a one size fits all approach to this statement. If you are one of the lucky few that has no pain, and have great foot posture that handles the load of your everyday well, then go for it! Wear thongs or sandals to your heart’s content. If not, there are a couple of things to be mindful of when slipping on a pair of your favourite summer footwear.
Think about Loads
When we say loads, we mean, the forces exerted on your feet and lower legs. When the load is low, any kind of footwear, including thongs and sandals, will probably be less important. Think walking around the house or a quick trip to the shops to grab a bottle of milk.
When the load is high however, like when we are doing a weekly grocery shop, running around the park, hiking or exercise, good supportive footwear is more important. The load is significantly influenced by the type and duration of activity.
Think about Frequency
How often do you wear sandals or thongs? If you are wearing them all day everyday, the risk of injury and pain will be higher than someone who wears them once a week. Compare them to high heels for example. High heels are great … if they are worn out to dinner occasionally, but they aren’t the best choice for a 40 hour working week with a long commute.
Think about Stability
Thongs and sandals can greatly increase the risk of a fall or an injury. Not such a big deal for a young person and could be considered a minor risk. For an older person though, the risk of a serious injury from a fall gets much higher. A broken hip for a less mobile person could spell a rapid decline in mobility which would be really hard to recover from.
Like many of us, you may have a niggling injury, frequent pain in the lower limbs, back or hips or you could even have flat feet. If you do, you probably need to wear thongs less frequently. Wearing thongs around the house might be okay for a little bit but wearing them frequently may exacerbate the pain you are feeling.
Let’s put it this way. It’s not that a particular kind of shoe is good or bad, It’s whether or not that shoe is good for you.
Think about YOUR Foot
At any point, if you are not sure whether sandals or thongs are the reason you are experiencing foot, leg or hip pain when you are wearing them, it might be worthwhile coming in for an assessment. If you are like us, and love wearing sandals in summer, you may want to check out our range of Revere Sandals that have a removable footbed so an orthotic can be expertly fitted to them if required.
Any questions, feel free to send me an email and I will be happy to help.
Have a great day today!
