Redemption for good old Aussie thongs – they are good for kids’ feet

For the first time it has been revealed that thongs are better for children than bare feet and the news comes from top medical specialists in Queensland.

FOR the first time it has been revealed that thongs are better for children than bare feet and the news comes from top medical specialists in Queensland.

For years podiatrists have sent parents the message that thongs are bad for kids’ feet but a paediatric orthopaedic doctor from the Queensland Children’s Hospital and a biomedical researcher and podiatrist have found the opposite.

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Dr John Walsh from QCH collaborated with Griffith University and the University of Queensland in the intensive testing of the Aussie favourite footwear and found walking with thongs does not increase the work performed by the calf muscles.

Four-year-old Cooper Laws can operate in a pair of thongs perfectly. It turns out thongs help to build muscle strength in kids’ feet. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“Instead our results suggest they act as a compliant surface and absorb energy during contact reducing the strain experienced by the Achilles tendon,’’ Dr Jayishni Maharaj, a podiatrist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Griffith Centre of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering said.

“Thongs are promoting not hindering development,” the doctor said.

The study has been published in the journal Gait & Posture.

“We found the muscles and tendons across the ankle absorbed and generated greater amounts of power during barefoot walking compared to flip-flop walking,’’ Dr Maharaj said.

She said while the minimalist design of thongs provides limited support to the foot and ankle joints during movement compared to close-toed shoes, children who wear minimal footwear have been shown to have lower incidences of flat feet.

Siblings Cruz, 7, and Koda Trewin, 5, from Palmerston, have happily and comfortably worn thongs all summer. Picture: Lachie Millard

“This suggests that barefoot walking could be positive for foot and ankle health. As the ideal footwear for a child’s developing feet is believed to allow natural motion of the foot, our results indicate that wearing flip-flops may not hinder the development of muscles at the ankle joint during childhood and could actually promote development.”

Dr Maharaj said while it is possible that walking with flip-flops may alter the function of the plantar intrinsic foot muscles, not explored in this study, the benefits of slipping flip-flops on and off quickly makes them a great option for parents to protect the skin of the under surface of the foot of their child from prickles, hot road and sand.

The study was supported by the Physiotherapy Research Fellowship, Health and Medical Research, Preventive Health Unit, Department of Health, Queensland, Australia, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

Siblings Cruz 7, and Koda Trewin, 5, from Palmerston, are pros at operating the thong. Mum Sharnie says they have worn nothing else all summer.

“I’ve never considered there was any problem with them, better than running around barefoot,” she said.