Are Your Feet being tortured by the “UGG Shuffle�
posted: Jan. 15, 2015.
Chilly weather has people running for their boots—then shuffling from one destination to another. And, many people still own (and treasure) at least one pair of UGG boots.
These boots may have been a fashion statement a few years ago, but because of the hefty price tag, the repercussions of owning a pair of UGGs still live on. Not only do they have numerous implications for feet, but they long ago earned a place in the “Urban Dictionary”—a reader-contributed dictionary of online slang words—because wearing the boots tends to lead to a sloppy shuffle. This action was named the “UGG shuffle”. As defined by one contributor, “That annoying noise when girls wearing UGGs drag their feet.”
So, what about the implications for feet? As explained by a Podiatrist interviewed for a story on nbcnews.com, “UGGs have little or no arch support.” Lack of arch support over extended periods of time can lead to pain in your feet, knees, hips and back and that lovely furry lined insole is a lush breeding ground for foot fungus.
UGGs may feel like slippers at first, but they can cause arch pain, heel pain and forefoot pain like metatarsalgia or neuroma. Arch pain and heel pain result from increased stress on the tendons and ligaments that support the feet. Neuroma pain results from compression or irritation of a nerve junction between two joints that form part of the ball of the foot. Metatarsalgia is pain and inflammation across the ball of the foot that can be localized to just one joint or spread across all the metatarsal joints.
Individuals who are overweight or who have a structural foot problem are more prone to these conditions, but you can get an accurate diagnosis from a foot specialist like Podiatrist, Sheldon H. Nadal, D.P.M. who can recommend or provide treatment to put the spring back in your step.
Resources:
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/body-odd/ugg-boots-shearling-agony-feet-f1C6437462
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Ugg+Shuffle
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190431.php