SANDALS CAUSE BACK PAIN

Question: Every summer, my back hurts and then goes away in the Fall. Could my sandals be causing my back pain?

Absolutely. Each summer, many of my patients experience new aches and pains in their backs, hips, knees and feet which is due to sandals and flip-flops.

Typically, these patients begin to complain about mid-summer. It takes a few weeks of wearing summer footwear before back and leg pain develops.

Most of these patients are women. Summer shoes and sandals offer very little support, which puts stress on your joints.

Without proper support, there’s a high probability that your foot pronates too much. This causes your foot to roll inward, which then twists your knee inward as well as your hip. This also causes low back pain by increasing the normal curvature in your spine.

Many of my patients require the use of a heel lift to balance their pelvis. It may be impractical to use a heel lift on a sandal. This results in low back pain when the pelvis is unlevel.

Why does it take until mid-summer to start having problems? Most people can adapt for a period of time before pain appears. You don't associate your back or leg pain with wearing sandals since it did not start immediately.

What is the solution? Sometimes, there is no other option but to return to your supportive foot wear, such as athletic shoes or a walking shoe.

If you are going to be on your feet a lot -- such as sight seeing -- you must wear supportive shoes. Do not go to Kings Island in your flip-flops.

You may be able to compromise. You need to limit how much time you spend barefoot at home or time spent in sandals. For some, even a few hours a week will cause back or leg pain.

You may also require a heavier, more supportive sandal such as a Birkenstock brand. These do much better than dainty sandals or flip-flops.

And for those that refuse to give up their sandals, just wait until the cool weather returns and you get back into better shoes. Everything will be fine until next mid-summer when it all starts over again.

Dr. Tom Konicki is a board certified chiropractic orthopedist and has practiced for 22 years in South Dayton. You can reach him at
www.kschiro.com or 937-439-5400. Mail your questions to Ask the Chiropractor, 2165 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Dayton, Ohio 45459

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