Do Crocs "bite" your feet?

The Crocs saga seems to be getting bigger every day. There are reports on various websites including www.fin24.co.za the Independent Online, www.mycrocs.co.za in Die Burger to name just a few, joining in the debate for and against this popular footwear.

Crocs are being blamed (along with other types of sandals) for injuries to people travelling on escalators in shopping centres. In Singapore a youngster lost a toe in an escalator accident.in November 2006,  a Crocs spokesperson blamed poor escalator safety. Apparently there is also a Crocs Accidents blog on the Internet!

The Independent Online article has comments from a spokesperson from the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists in the UK, who agrees that Crocs "have shortcomings" and goes on to say that if a person only wears Crocs "they're disastrous"," that they don't give the feet enough support" and that "they are better suited to holiday wear." Read for yourself; http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2950842.ece

Despite all the current negative publicity, Crocs remain enormously popular and 20 million pairs have been sold in the past 12 months, so there are plenty of very happy wearers worldwide.

My advice is to wear the real thing. Avoid knock-offs which are cheap and wear very quickly especially if you have a walking style that causes local increases in pressure.(Look for where you have callus under your feet). If you have diabetes with no complications then you might be OK, but avoid them if you have loss of sensation or poor blood flow to the feet – this advice applies to any footwear for people with diabetes anyway.

Finally. look out for Croc Mammoths – a fur-lined shoe designed for the Northern Hemisphere winter.