Wearing Crocs on a daily basis is bad for the health of the feet

Wearing Crocs, these brightly colored plastic shoes, is a bad idea, chiropodists say.

Since 2016, chiropodists in the United States have regularly warned against the daily wear of Crocs, these brightly colored clogs, which have sold more than 300 million copies in 90 countries since their launch in 2002. These shoes lead to risk of joint pain and deformities in the feet. Made in USA, the Crocs are made of plastic (an ethylene-vinyl acetate foam) and are originally designed to be worn at the beach or at the edge of a pool. Comfortable, light and easy to wash, they have also become essential in the hospital environment, especially with nurses.

Risk of tendonitis and toe deformity

But according to two American podiatrists, these shoes martyrise our feet if they are worn daily, they warn in the columns of the Huffington Post. "Unfortunately, they are not meant to be worn all day long," says Chicago-based podiatrist Dr. Megan Leahy, "they do not support the heel enough. When it is unstable, the toes tend to curl to hold the shoe, which can cause tendinitis (note: tendon inflammation that occur when they have been too much and / or poorly solicited). To these problems of joints are added risks of "deformation of toes, problem of nails, corns or calluses, the same thing can happen with the excessive wearing of flip flops", adds the specialist. Of course, even if they should not be worn for 8 to 10 hours a day, Crocs are not advised against by chiropodists for an occasional port on the beach or at the pool. "The only two types of patients that could benefit from the daily wear of these shoes are those who have very high arch or those who suffer from excessive edema of their legs or ankles," says Dr. Alex Kor Huffington Post, President of the American Academy of Podiatry.

Several countries, such as the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Sweden and Austria, have banned since 2011 the wearing of these footwear hospitals not for reasons of foot health, but security: Crocs would not be strong enough to protect the foot from sharp instruments like needles or syringes that could drag on the ground.

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