Walk the Walk - It's in the Shoe!

Photo by Monica

I don't wear heels. I don't because I can't. I can't because I refuse to let my feet suffer any more than they have to. That and the mere fact that I can't walk in them to begin with. I believe it's related to my inability to walk straight. It has always been a problem long before I was even "old enough" to wear heels. My coworkers have been encouraging me to bust out my heels ever since I wore a pair to work one day. They said that they make me look more "grownup and sophisticated." It was really flattering at the time, and you'd think that would motivate me to wear heels on a daily basis. Wrong. But for the record, I'm really considering it. Especially after today. Especially after reading The REDEYE's cover story entitled "Arch Enemy - You may love them, but your feet might not - how flip-flops can hurt you" by Leonor Vivanco.

I'm a big fan of ballet flats and flip-flops because I don't have to worry about "walking like a woman." Unfortunately, my feet seem to have developed a hatred towards me because of it. It's beginning to hurt to walk, a lot. Every day after work, nay, while I'm at work my feet already start to experience fatigue from all the weight I put on them. According to Dr. Charlotte Covello, a podiatrist in the loop, "The moment flip-flop wearers feel heel or arch pain, they should stop wearing them, because the pain can lead to a chronic foot injury." My thoughts? I feel heel and arch pain on a daily basis...but wait a minute, did you just say...CHRONIC FOOT INJURY?! (Monica runs to her closet in frantic search for a decent pair of heels to wear...from this day onward.)

Photo by Monica

On top of increasing my risk for foot injury, I probably have also shortened my strides based according to a study of 39 students at Auburn University. "Shorter strides mean more distance," Justin Shroyer, lead author of the study exclaimed. This, in turn, will also "change the way people walk and therefore may cause foot and lower leg pain," Shroyer continued. I always wondered why my friends, who are clearly shorter than me, seem to walk a lot faster than me. Now? Now I get it...it's in the shoe!

Moral of the story? Flats and flip-flops are so in. But chronic foot injury, shorter strides and unhappy feet? Forget it!

To read more about the article and the love-hate relationship between your feet and flip-flops, go here.

To read more about careers in podiatry, which I strongly encourage everyone to do because it just saved my life/feet today, go here.