Ever get sore feet in summer?
It might be your favourite jandals causing your arches to ache and your heels to hurt.
Amanda Lau, a sports podiatrist at Pure Sports Medicine in London, has labelled the jandal a potential health hazard.
The foot expert said jandals provided minimal cushioning and support for feet,
and while they were suitable for a beach walk, they did not give the body adequate shock absorption when walking on city streets.
She said jandals had no arch support, and wearers often had to adjust their gait "for the worse".
"People also tend to clench their toes to keep the flip-flop on their foot. This can cause the connective tissue which runs along the foot from the heel to the base of the toes, the plantar fascia, to become stretched and inflamed, leading to foot and heel pain."
Wairarapa podiatrist Ladonna Stanclisse-Deans agreed with the verdict, saying she had a bunch of "jandal-wearers" in Masterton and Carterton whom she saw regularly for heel pain and plantar fasciitis.
"It's like they're walking on stone, and people tend to wear them until they're so thin it's like they're walking on the ground - and there's no support in them."
Her recommendation was to avoid them. "I always say if you're going to wear jandal-type shoes then you're much better off going for a walking sandal which has better heel support."
Other issues could include shin pain, overuse of metatarsals, arch pain, heel bruising and poor gait.
