Love them or hate them, Crocs — the rubber clogs that started out in 2002 as boater-floaters for Jimmy Buffett types in Florida but have now sold more than 300 million pairs in 90 countries — are here to stay.

    Treasured for their comfort, rubberiness and floatability, they're equally popular with toddlers and Mario Batali.

    Crocs are affordable, and at this point, classic ... but what do podiatrists — you know, actual doctors who want you to live your best life — think about them?

    They're not fans — at least not the doctors we spoke with.

    "Unfortunately Crocs are not suitable for all-day use," Dr. Megan Leahy, a Chicago-based podiatrist with the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, told HuffPost. While she granted that they "offer nice arch support," she added that the real reason you shouldn't wear them over long periods of time is that "these shoes do not adequately secure the heel. When the heel is unstable, toes tend to grip which can lead to tendinitis, worsening of toe deformities, nail problems, corns and calluses. The same thing can happen with flip flops or any backless shoes as the heel is not secured."

    Dr. Alex Kor, the president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, told HuffPost that the most important feature in any shoe is the shank, the supportive structure between the heel and the toe. "Patients are more likely to have foot pain if their shoes bend in the shank," said Kor.

    Crocs, according to Kor, are the "poster child" for shoes with a flexible shank. "In other words, on a daily basis, I see patients who come into my office complaining of arch or heel pain and they are wearing Crocs," he said.

    "The only two types of patients that may benefit from wearing Crocs are patients that have a very high arch or those who suffer from excessive edema of their legs and ankle," Kor said. "But, under no circumstances can I suggest wearing Crocs eight to 10 hours per day."

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    足医

    zúyī

    podiatrist

    a person qualified to diagnose and treat foot disorders

    老茧

    lǎojiǎn

    callus

    a hardened or thickened part of the skin

    "洞洞鞋"不宜久穿

    卡洛驰于2002年创建在佛罗里达，当时是为喜爱岛生活的人生产的可穿在小船上不会沉的轻便橡胶鞋。无论你喜欢还是讨厌，这些鞋已经在90个国家售出了三亿多双—它已经扎稳了根基。

    人们喜爱卡洛驰洞洞鞋的舒适、有弹性和不会沉，学步的小孩和明星大厨马里奥?巴塔利都喜欢。

    洞洞鞋价格实惠，实惠的同时又经典……但是足病医生们——你知道那些真正希望你活得好的医生，怎么想吗？

    他们不是洞洞鞋粉——起码与我们谈话的医生不是。

    芝加哥的伊利诺伊州骨骼和关节研究所足病医生梅甘?莱西对《赫芬顿邮报》说：“不幸的是，洞洞鞋不适合全天穿着。”虽然她承认“它们给足弓提供了很好的支撑”，但她补充说不应长时间穿着的真正原因是这些鞋不能给脚后跟提供足够的支撑。如果脚后跟不稳定，脚趾就会紧紧抓地，可能导致肌腱炎、加剧脚趾变形、指甲异常、鸡眼、产生老茧。人字拖或任何形式的拖鞋都会产生同样的问题，因为脚后跟得不到支撑。

    美国运动足病医学学会主席亚历克斯?科尔对《赫芬顿邮报》说，任何一双鞋最重要的部分都是腰铁（足弓处），就是脚后跟到脚趾的支撑结构。“如果鞋子在腰铁处柔软易弯，病人就更容易脚痛，”科尔说。

    据科尔说，洞洞鞋是腰铁易弯的“典型代表”。“也就是说，每天我都能见到来我办公室抱怨足弓或脚后跟痛的病人，他们都穿着洞洞鞋，”他说。

    “只有两种病人也许能从穿洞洞鞋中获益，一种是足弓特别高的病人，另一种是腿和脚踝过度水肿的病人，”科尔说。“但是，我绝不会建议每天穿洞洞鞋8到10小时。”