Why you should avoid flat shoes during the Summer

When Summer arrives and our holiday packing begins, many of us fish out our sandals and flip flops. Whilst wearing open footwear has some benefits– such as keeping our feet cool and fresh, wearing flat shoes over a long period of time can be not only bad for your feet and but can negatively influence other parts of our body- our ankles, hips and back.

Flat shoes such as sandals and flip flops tend to have a severe lack of cushioning and support, when compared to trainers, boots, and proper shoes. This lack of support can mean our feet take on a huge amount of impact when walking or taking part in any exercise. There are several characteristics of flat soled shoes that can harm your feet:

• Thin, unsupportive soles that provide no arch support.
• Often have narrow toe boxes that crowd toes/squish toes together.
• No ankle coverage to lock-in your heel, causing slippage, toe clawing and shifting meaning our feet can become achy and tired.
• No arch support means unsteady walking and high impact.

When selecting shoes, we often concentrate on the size of the shoe and less about the sole and the way that this can negatively or positively affect our feet and body. A common condition caused/enhanced by flat shoes is Plantar Fasciitis. This is a condition that causes heel pain and stiffness along the bottom of your foot, where the plantar fascia ligament resides. To avoid plantar fasciitis, we advise you to choose flat shoes with arch support and cushioning or invest in an arch support gel or orthotic to provide your feet with extra support in your summer footwear.

Our best-selling range of Archies footwear combines the same amount of support you would get from any orthotic from your podiatrist and the benefits of a cushioned sole with the fashionable appearance of ‘normal’ flip flops and slides. Podiatrists and Foot Health Practitioners worldwide have had amazing results from this range, saying they are “Perfect for their patients when they are not wearing their orthotics, giving their patients a break from their shoes and some much-needed fresh air while still giving them substantial support.” The Archies footwear range is brilliant for those people suffering from foot conditions such as plantar fasciitis. Their soft arch support helps provide a more optimal environment for healing to occur when compared to walking bare feet on hard surfaces or typical flat thongs. 

Take a look at the benefits below!