A recent article written by a physical therapist in British Columbia, Canada and posted on the BCLocalNews.com site claims that wearing flip flops often lead to plantar fasciitis. The article goes on to state that shoes with poor arch support such as flip flops and cleats are a common culprit when looking into causes of plantar fasciitis.
Included in the brief article is a nice general explanation of what plantar fasciitis is, why some people develop it, and some common physical therapy assessment techniques and treatments.
Not mentioned in the article is the possibility that perhaps people spend too much time in footwear that is actually too supportive. It could be that we rely too much on this artificial support rather than developing strong intrinsics and arches. Maybe a good recommendation would be to spend more time barefoot or wearing less supportive and more natural, barefoot-like footwear such as Vibram Five Finger shoes.
Read the full article here.
There are no studies about Vibram Five Fingers shoes and their effect on chronic foot injuries. If anyone knows of any studies at all about them I would love to know about it.
I use mine casually and really like them but I haven’t done any extensive running in them.