Flat Chance
As Birkenstocks and trainers storm the high-fashion runways, Jayne MacAulay celebrates the return of the good-for-you granola shoe
Back in the 1950s and ’60s, thongs weren’t sexy undergarments. They were cheap, colourful, rubber sandals held on the foot by a thong slipped between the big and second toe. Unlike hula hoops of the era, the sandal’s popularity hasn’t waned. But flip-flops – the minimalist footwear’s modern moniker – may not be the best option, especially if your feet tend to be flat.
Our tootsies evolved to walk on soil, grass and sand that change shape with the foot, podiatrist Phillip Vasyli points out. Most of us now walk on hard floors and pavement, and it’s the foot that has to give, he says. “This actually unravels the biomechanics of the foot, which unravels the knee, the hip and the back.” Ouch.
Vasyli knows a thing or two about feet – and surfboards. Soon after he began practising in his native Australia in 1979, he decided he could save clients time and money by using his surfboard-making skills to make prescription orthotics instead of having them custom-made in the U.S. By 1991, he had added his prefabricated orthotic technology to flip-flops, the oddson favourite footwear in the Land of Oz. Brilliant, mate!
This rethink of the flip-flop keeps the foot stable and comfortably supported, reducing overpronation, a common condition where the foot rolls too far to the inside and then thrusts off the ground using the big toe and second toe. Uncorrected, the biomechanics of such a foot can lead to foot, knee, hip and low back pain. He cautions that the pretty flip-flops and sandals in his Vionic with Orthaheel Technology line may feel a bit strange at first as over-pronation decreases. Seek medical advice if pain persists, he says, as prescription orthotics may be needed for a small minority.
“It’s my job to know what happens to the foot at varying heel heights,” he says, especially since women also want to wear highheeled shoes, the bane of podiatrists. He’s designed higher wedge and platform shapes that contour the arch and spread weight throughout the foot. “We’ve only gone so high so far,” he says, “but we’re getting there.”
A line of orthotic inserts can add support, stability and comfort to other men’s and women’s shoes, running shoes and high heels.