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Killer Flip Flops

Discussion in 'Podiatry Trivia' started by footman1972, Aug 5, 2005.

  1. footman1972

    footman1972 Active Member


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    Hello all,

    Fantastic story on the front of the Daily Star this morning - apparently flip-flops have been blamed for car accidents (they get caught around the brake pedal at traffic lights) and male impotence!

    :D

    Footman1972
     
  2. footman1972

    footman1972 Active Member

    Hi All,

    Finally found the story!

    Flip Flops Can Be Killers
    Wearing trendy flip flops could kill you, according to new research.
    The fashionable footwear - ideal for the beach in hot weather - are putting the lives of road users at risk.
    Three in every four motorists have admitted they find it hard to drive in flip flops and road safety experts have warned that wearing the sandals in the car could be a lethal decision.
    Researchers claim a flip flop, worn by millions, can easily get stuck under the pedals and cause a fatal accident, The Sun says.
    Craig Martin, spokesman for Norwich Union who carried out the poll, told the newspaper: "Footwear such as flip flops are dangerous as the sole can get caught under a pedal.
    "The absence of ankle support can lead to the foot slipping off the pedal altogether."
    Leigh Purves, gossip columnist for the Daily Star, is among those to have had a close call while driving with designer flip flops.
    She has told how, while travelling on the M1, her sandal got stuck under the brake pedal and she missed another car "by millimetres".
    The Sun also says that German researchers revealed last year that 14 out of 25 pairs of flip flops they studied contained toxic chemicals known to lower sperm count in men and attack the liver, kidneys and reproductive organs.

    Happy Holidays!

    Footman1972 :D
     
  3. One Foot In The Grave

    One Foot In The Grave Active Member

    Damn! So my parents were right when they told us never to drive barefoot or in thongs! (Australian-speak for Flip-Flops)
     
  4. Felicity Prentice

    Felicity Prentice Active Member

    And always wear clean underwear in case you have an accident and need to go in an ambulance to hospital.

    Or....don't wear thongs, and then you wont have an accident, and you can wear manky knickers whenever you like.

    But if you wear manky knickers then you won't score...but if your sperm count is that low, it doesn't matter... Oh dear, I'm getting all confused.
     
  5. mastersound

    mastersound Member

    so someone worried about their knickers....is also worried about their sperm count....hmmm.....*cue the 70's funk*

    so i guess as a profession we can help lower the road toll...and stop people from wearing bad footwear all in the one go....what a great idea!!!
     
  6. admin

    admin Administrator Staff Member

    Too much of a good thong …

    From todays Melbourne Age

    Go Paul
     
  7. Cameron

    Cameron Well-Known Member

    Netizens

    It is good to get press and that has to be applauded. Well done Paul. It is also fare to say reporters will present what they think is a good story and not always the truth as reported to them. 'When does the truth get in the way of a good story', is an old but true adage. However I believe as a credible service to the public we are obliged to coach public statements with informed opinion and not just alarmist rhetoric.

    There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support thongs are bad for feet. Indeed if it were true then we would all have weak feet because sandals have been around since the beginning of clothing. Whilst care is cautioned not to attempt physical activity in inappropriately designed shoes many great feats have been achieved in the humble thong. I am reminded of stranded travelers who walk miles for assistance in the punishing heat protected only by their sandals. Shoes are not the primary cause of foot problems as has been proffered and although they may excite repetitive stress injury, the fundamental problem already exists. The genesis of the sports sandals bears no resemblance to the daggy origins of ‘dads at barbecues’ but lends instead more to the practical development of shoes which support the foot and give traction to it on wet surfaces during excessive sports such as white water rafting. Sport sandals of today are technical marvels which incorporate the accumulated knowledge of shoe making since the beginning together with 21st century materials. Many of the thongs incorporate wedges in their midsole and are not flat surfaces as indicated. Condemnation of the thong is easy because it has association with low socio-economical groups and access to privately owned public space such as shopping malls and cinemas sadly bare witness to this in our society. These are promulgated by psuedo laws of health and safety which do not exist . Refer to the Barefoot Society website. In essence, like all Western Countries we are a Middle Class society who does not like poor people. The ancient Romans were no different and legislated only citizens of Rome (males) had the right to wear shoes (ironically thongs).

    However there is no evidence to suggest single or double pluggers do you any harm whatsoever in the general population. Long live the Aussie icon!

    It may be as a group, podiatrists reflect the population seen by them for professional services and under these circumstances there may well be a correlation between foot pathology and inappropriate footwear. However that codicil needs to be made clear in any public statement. After all as scientists we cannot extrapolate inappropriately nor as an informed public should we be pray to alarmist predictions with no scientific basis whatsoever.


    What say you?

    Cameron
    Hey. what do I know
     
  8. Dawn Bacon

    Dawn Bacon Active Member

    One of my elderly clients who served in the Indian army (Mountain Scouts) has regailed me with tales of how they would march for many miles (all day long) through mountainous terrain, wearing a type of sandal called a chapli (?spelling). He describes a leather sole with iron studs embedded in it (for grip) and an interwoven leather upper. As far as I can visualise from his description these sandals resembled those worn by Roman soldiers. Despite this his feet are not in bad shape for a gentleman in his nineties.

    Poll
     
  9. Cameron

    Cameron Well-Known Member

    Hi Poll

    >One of my elderly clients who served in the Indian army (Mountain
    Scouts) has regailed me with tales of how they would march for many miles (all day long) through mountainous terrain, wearing a type of sandal called a chapli (?spelling). He describes a leather sole with iron studs embedded in it (for grip) and an interwoven leather upper. As far as I can visualise from his description these sandals resembled those worn
    by Roman soldiers. Despite this his feet are not in bad shape for a
    gentleman in his nineties.

    I think a Chapli is a kabab <http://www.mag4you.com/recipe/recipe.asp?title=Chapli+Kabab+and+Potato+Balls&content_id=1781&arch=0&bhcp=1>


    Your patient may be describing a traditional Indian sandal called Chappals. These are the most widely used footwear in India. Chappals come in many designs and are both comfortable and long lasting. Originally the sandals were made in Kohlapur in Maharashtra and are often called kolhapuri chappals. Shoe making in India dates back to the time of the Indus valley civilisation (circa 3000 BC) and the Indians had learned to tan leather early making sumptuous clothing including footwear. In the East the use of bronze was known to exist from 4500 BC and the Indian civilisation may well have influenced the Etruscans to use bronze (or later copper) tacks to attach the sole of the sandal to the upper. This is what was later used by the Romans as they militarised the sandal. Robust footwear took them further and hence the Roman Empire spread further than previous civilisations. Other traditional Indian footwear include 'jhuttis' (jhootis or juttis) and 'mojhris'. Mojhris are heavily embroidered with gold and silver threads and decorated with precious gems and pearls. These are worn at weddings. These were considered as the royal ethnic footwear to go with traditional Indian dressing like sherwanis and churidar kurta (pyjamas). They come in a variety of colours and designs, and are normally hand crafted, made from buffalo, cow or camel leather soles, while the upper part comprises of leather or simply textile. Unlike chappals both parts of the shoe are joined together by a paste then stitched by white cotton threads. The flat soled shoes have no left right distinction. The shoes have become very popular with the glitterati and are worn by Bollywood stars and professional sportsmen. Mojhari is a man's closed shoe with an extended curled toe, while as jhuttis have flat fronts. In jhuttis, the rear is normally covered but mojharis have an open look from behind. These shoes were traditionally made in Jaipur and Jodhpur, cities of Rajasthan.
    Good source is:

    Feet and Footwear in Indian Culture/Jutta Jain-Neubauer. Ahmedabad, Mapin, 2000, 171 p., map, colour photographs, ISBN 81-85822-69-7.
    https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no17936.htm

    Cameron
    Hey, what do I know.
     
  10. Cameron

    Cameron Well-Known Member

    Netizens

    Here is an example in contemporary life where shoes or the absence of them is punishment. These are called sumptary laws and are well documented throughout history <http://www.podiatry.curtin.edu.au/sump.html>

    Sex workers in India
    http://www.careinternational.org.uk/features/stories/story.php?id=373
    We are not permitted to wear shoes. We cannot be buried after death because we are sex workers. Our dead bodies are either thrown into the river or burnt irrespective of religion or caste," says Ruby, leader of Joy Nari Sangha, an organisation of Faridpur based sex workers.

    and
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2051978.stm

    Hence in these communities going without shoes is a stigma. No different really from condeming thong wearers in Australia for whatever reason.

    Cameron
     
  11. Cameron

    Cameron Well-Known Member

  12. admin

    admin Administrator Staff Member

    Is it time to flip flop on thongs?

    These stories just do not want o die....
    http://www.abc.net.au/goldcoast/stories/s1461217.htm
     
  13. C Bain

    C Bain Active Member

    Hi Craig,

    Quotes bejabers! Quotes all over the place? Won't Admin. be pleased when he sees this!

    Regards,

    Colin.

    PS. Only trying to reach the 300 you know, and not a flip flop in sight!

    PPS. Why Does that one behind in the photograph on the Home Page start grinning with incredulity when I post something on this Arena?
     
  14. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    From WWAY News Channel:
    Flip-flops could cause long-term foot damage
    May 18, 2006 05:56 AM
     
  15. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    this is the lead story on WebMD today:
    Flip-Flops Fun but Beware of Foot Pain
    Experts give flip-flops thumbs up for the poolside, thumbs down for foot pain
    By Katherine Kam
     
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