Are you a flip-flop fashionista?
If so, you may find that wearing your favorite summer footwear can cause your legs to ache.
USA Today recently turned to a UL Lafayette expert, Dr. Justin Shroyer, for some advice.
鈥 The less flip in your flop, the better it is for your feet and legs,鈥 Shroyer told USA Today. He recommends flip-flops with features such as heel cups and arches, to give feet as much support as possible.
Shroyer, an assistant professor of kinesiology, has studied the biomechanical performance and safety of the popular summer sandal. He鈥檚 evaluated more than 100 flip-flop wearers to find out how the shoes affect legs and feet. He recently presented some of his research at the American College of Sports Medicine鈥檚 annual meeting in Baltimore.
Shroyer鈥檚 research shows that people walk differently when wearing flip-flops than when they are barefoot. They take shorter steps and use their toes to grip the shoes as they walk. They also hold their ankles at a different angle. As a result, the muscles on the front of their shins work harder, causing leg pain.
He began exploring flip-flop effects in 2007, while earning his doctoral degree at Auburn University. When he presented the initial findings at the ACSM鈥檚 2008 convention, he set off a media flip-flop frenzy. He received requests for interviews from Newsweek, the BBC and ABC鈥檚 Good Morning America, among others.
Two years later, media outlets are still calling. 鈥淚鈥檝e become 鈥楾he Flip-Flop Guy,鈥 not because I can鈥檛 make a decision, but because of my research,鈥 he joked.
Stroyer鈥檚 research is focused on human movement. 鈥淎nywhere I go, I鈥檓 always analyzing the way people walk.鈥
Shroyer is collaborating with researchers at Auburn, studying the biomechanical effects of a new shoe, Vibrum FiveFingers庐. The shoes have with rubber soles and separate compartments for each toe. The manufacturer says wearing the shoes is similar to going barefoot.
He had five people wear the shoes as much as possible for six months. 鈥淚n developed countries, where people wear shoes almost from birth, there is a high prevalence of people with flat feet,鈥 he explained.
鈥 We鈥檙e looking at the shoes鈥 effects on balance and stability 鈥 and measuring whether the arch structure in their feet improved.鈥
Stroyer said the data-collection phase of the study is complete. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know the answers yet, because we still have to crunch the numbers.鈥