Foot Pain? Your Flip-Flops May Be the Culprit!

Ah, summertime splendour. Nearly everyone’s favourite time of year in Victoria is met by longer days, lighter clothing and more casual footwear — namely, the all-too-common flip-flops. Unfortunately, while flip-flops may seem like a comfortable choice at first step, they can cause foot pain and exacerbate the following conditions. So, if you’re noticing aches and pains this time of year, and if flip-flops are part of your summertime routine, here’s what you need to know.

Why Flip-Flops Cause Foot Pain and ProblemsFoot Pain Caused By Poor-Fitting Foorwear

Flip-flops lack support: and even if you don’t realize it, wearing flip-flops creates tension in the muscles of your feet and toes as the foot grips the flip-flop to prevent it from sliding off when walking. 

Absent elevation: In addition, the lack of a slight heel elevation can cause excessive strain on your foot, calf muscles, and Achilles tendon. While, depending on your feet, not everyone requires a lot of support in their footwear, flip-flops’ complete lack of arch support and cushioning means your whole body absorbs the shock each time your feet strike the ground. 

Standing and walking for long periods in flip-flops can cause or exacerbate underlying foot and postural conditions and cause pain that can interfere with your usual activities. 

The Most Common Conditions Exacerbated by Flip-Flop Wearing

Plantar Fasciitis: Quite possibly the most common condition triggered by prolonged flip flop wearing, plantar fasciitis pain is often described as a burning or stabbing pain that’s felt in the heel or midsole of your foot. Plantar fasciitis pain results from inflammation of the plantar fascia, which can be caused by footwear lacking adequate arch support.

Flexor and Extensor Tendonitis: When you walk in flip-flops, your feet tense the muscles of your toes to stabilize the sole of the flip-flop. In addition, it’s also common to push off the ground from your big toe when walking in flip-flops. Over time, this can lead to strain and inflammation of the tendons responsible for flexing and extending your toes. The first signs and symptoms of flexor tendonitis and extensor tendonitis include pain along the top of the foot, under the big toe, or under your inner ankle when you walk, run, bend or straighten your toes. 

Bunion Pain: If you have bunions, you know they can make a lot of different footwear off limits. And while flip flops appear as though they’d offer a reprieve from bunion pain caused by friction from narrow and enclosed footwear, the lack of cushioning under the big toe joint and ball of your foot can lead to inflammation, redness and pain. 

Achilles Tendonitis Pain: Achilles tendonitis is caused when the tendon that runs between the back of your ankle and heel becomes strained, which can be triggered by wearing flat footwear without a slight heel elevation.

Knee, Hip or Lower Back Pain: Footwear that lacks adequate cushioning and support places unnecessary strain and impact on your ligaments and joints, which can cause inflammation and pain most commonly felt in the knees, hips and lower back. 

Gait Issues, Postural Issues and Muscle Imbalances: Gait issues are prevalent and often go unnoticed until body aches and pains (or a sports injury) bring someone in for an assessment. Unaddressed gait issues can lead to muscle imbalances such as glute tightness that can cause an uneven tilt to the pelvis resulting in lower back and hip pain, nerve pain and joint issues. In addition, flat footwear such as flip-flops can interfere with the natural biomechanics of your feet, which, when unimpeded, help protect the body by absorbing shock, ensuring balance and maintaining body alignment.

Perhaps You Could Use a Little Support

Proper body alignment starts from the ground up: and sometimes something as minor as adjusting heel elevation and providing adequate arch support can make a big difference in helping to improve posture, relieve pain and correct movement patterns. 

You don’t necessarily have to ditch your flip-flops altogether: reserve them for beach or short strolls in the yard. Even your most expensive running shoes or workboots may need a little tweaking to best support your feet and prevent foot pain and other complications. 

Custom orthotics that are tailored to your specific needs following a thorough GAIT analysis: can be easily inserted into different types of footwear. Adding orthotics to your everyday shoes and boots can help alleviate foot pain and correct gait issues by giving your feet the right amount of support where it’s needed. Custom orthotics can make a big difference in relieving foot pain and body aches caused by gait issues and suboptimal body alignment, resulting in more comfortable days on your feet.

If Foot Pain Persists

How Orthotics are Made

It never hurts to have things checked out by a health professional, and addressing the cause of foot pain early can prevent further injury and result in better overall outcomes.

At Diversified Health Clinic, we use state-of-the-art GaitScan technology to accurately assess foot function and identify any imbalances, biomechanical issues and causes of pain. If faulty foot mechanics are found to be the cause of your pain, our practitioners can fit you with custom orthotic inserts that are specifically tailored for your feet. You can learn more about our comprehensive process here.

Take The Next Step Towards Happy, Healthy Feet

If foot pain, body aches or gait issues are slowing you down, our practitioners at Diversified Health can help. Take the first step on your road to recovery by booking an appointment with one of our practitioners today.

Call (250) 382-0018 or book an appointment online. We offer direct billing and weekday and weekend appointments. Please view our hours of operation and location details here.

Experiencing lower back and hip pain is quite common and can affect anyone at any age. Sometimes back pain can be easily mistaken for hip pain and discomfort because the joint of your hip is located near your spine. Injuries can resemble or be the cause of your back pain. Some other symptoms you may experience in addition to hip and low back pain are:

  • Groin pain
  • Pain while moving/walking
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Stiffness

Common causes of lower back and hip pain include:Lower Back and Hip Pain Causes

  1. Pinched nerve: is an uncomfortable condition that can cause shooting pain, tingling and discomfort. It occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding bones, muscles, and tissues. This pressure interrupts proper nerve function, pain, numbness, and weakness. 
  2. Muscle strain: caused by stretching and possibly tearing of your tendons and muscles. The immediate reaction is a pain in your back; however, you may also experience dull aches or discomfort in your hip. 
  3. Herniated disc: also referred to as a ruptured or slipped disc, occurs when the “jelly” inside your spinal disc is pushed through the harder exterior of the disc causing the nearby nerves to become irritated, often causing pain and numbness.
  4. Arthritis: is the inflammation of one or more of your joints, often a result of aging. Some common symptoms are pain, swelling, stiffness, decreased range of motion and numbness. 
  5. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction: also referred to as the SI joint, which connects your hip bone to your sacrum (the triangular bone between the lumbar spine and tailbone). The SI Joint is meant to absorb shock between your upper body, pelvis, and legs. Strain or injury to this joint can cause radiating pain in your back, hip, and groin area. 

The primary mechanisms of SI joint dysfunction are:SI Joint Dysfunction

  • Too little movement (hypomobility): can cause pain, muscle tension and may inhibit your mobility. Pain is typically felt on one side of the low back and can radiate down the back of the legs (similar to sciatic pain).
  • Too much movement (hypermobility): can cause the pelvis to feel unstable and may lead to pain. Pain is usually felt in lower back/hip and may radiate into the groin area.

Treatment for SI Joint Dysfunction

  • Spinal manipulation (adjustment)

Adjustments involve a thrust that can result in an audible release, called cavitation, which is created by a change in pressure in the joint. Although, it is not necessary for the adjustment to be effective. 

Some patients do not want this spinal manipulation and may prefer a more gentle approach which could involve:Lower Back and Hip Pain Treatment

  1. Flexion-distraction technique: is a specialized table is used that gently stretches or distracts the spine.
  2. Activator or Neuromechanical instrument: is a spring-loaded instrument that specifically targets locations along the spine with low-force impulses.
  3. “Drop” approach: involves the use of a special chiro table where sections of the table can be raised or dropped simultaneously with gentle thrusts. This allows gravity to help with the adjustments. 

In addition to adjustments, treatments may also include mobilizations, soft tissue therapy, and rehab exercises. Your chiropractor may also recommend getting a biomechanical assessment of your feet and gait scan to see if a pair of customized orthotics would be beneficial for the SI joint dysfunction.  

For Relief From Lower Back and Hip Pain in Victoria, BC

Contact the clinic for more information on low back/hip pain-related treatments or to book with our Chiropractors Dr. Krisjan Gustavson or Dr. Caitlin Sellan. Please contact us at 250-382-0018 or online at www.diversifiedhealth.janeapp.com

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