Do you trade in your car more often than you trade in your shoes?

With Summer coming to a close and cooler weather just around the corner, it’s time to put away the flip-flops and start wearing shoes. But as we still have a couple weeks left of warmer weather, the question arises as to whether your favorite pair of sandals is actually worth wearing or keeping for next year. If you shoes aren’t doing what they are suppose to, you have foot pain and you will wish your flip flops had been traded in. It is statistically proven that some people actually keep their shoes longer than they keep their cars. If you are wondering if your shoes should go to the junk yard - here are a couple of tests to try out on your flip-flops and sandals and some tips when you go to buy your next pair.

First of all, take one of your sandals in your hands and see if it bends in half. If the front of the sandal can touch the heel of the sandal, you’ve got a bad pair. Also see if you can twist the flip-flop. If it looks like something you can buy at a donut shop, that’s not a good shoe either. So in these two instances – don’t go looking for shoe repair – just throw out the shoe. If you bend the sandal and it only bends in the front half and only a little bit, that’s ok because you want the sandal to move with your feet. If your sandals bend too far or twist really easily, there is absolutely no support for your feet. If the flip-flop is flat and cheap, guarantee they are not good, it doesn’t matter that they only cost five bucks, you’ll pay for it later in pain. Again – relate this to buying a lemon of a car – it may look good but it will leave you with nothing but pain. Next test; see if your toes hang off the end of the flip-flop. If they do, the sandals are too small and this could cause you to trip and hurt your toes. Next, check the material the sandal is made of. You want soft leather, not a cheap plastic sandal. Plastic will tend to give you blisters. Lastly, check your flip-flops for wear and tear. If they are frayed and cracked, get rid of them!

If you need to get a new pair, here are some quick tips. First, don’t go cheap. Like buying a good car – you get what you pay for – if you go cheap – then you get a cruddy car – if you buy a cheap sandal – then you get a cruddy sandal. Good sandals cost more, and you won’t pay for it in pain later. Get soft leather, not plastic. Get a supportive sandal, not a flat one you can bend in half. Remember you want it to bend in the front a little bit, but not to where the front touches the back. Go to your favorite shoe store and ask for help. They will help fit you and make sure you get the right size. Lastly, don’t wear the same pair every year, get a new pair each spring. This will keep you feet happy and pain free. If you have any questions, we would love to help you out. Give us a call at 877-941-FEET (3338) or visit our website at http://www.upstatefootcare.com/.