Besides adding a bit of comfort, style and leisurely flair, it turns out that flip-flops may actually help you avoid osteoarthritis later in life. This is because footwear that has flexible soles, which include flip-flops and sneakers (and bare feet), are much easier on your knees than even special walking shoes, and stress on the knees can play an important role in the development of arthritis.

A recent study, published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research, indicates that footwear is generally designed to take into consideration the comfort of the foot. While this is perfectly reasonable, it can often ignore the stress that is incurred by other parts of the body, especially the knees. With this in mind, soft flexible soles seem to be the way to go. In fact, researchers determined that the soft, flat soles reduce the load on the knees even more than supportive shoes that are more rigid.

Researchers arrived at their findings by analyzing the gait of arthritis patients, comparing their walking patterns in a variety of shoes that include clogs, special stability shoes, sneakers, and flip flops. As it turns out, the amount of stress on the knees differed markedly between the different shoes, with the highest levels occurring with the clogs and stability shoes when compared to the flip-flops or bare feet.

Footwear plays a more prominent role in knee stress than people may realize, and several factors contribute to the load, including heel height and stiffness. The reason for this may be due to the way the foot is allowed to flex, whereby greater range of motion allows the foot to absorb some of the force, thereby reducing the impact on the joints. When wearing stiff-soled shoes, the resulting “stomping” action increases the force absorbed by the rest of the leg. Flexible soles, on the other hand, are more similar to walking on bare feet.

In lieu of the findings, however, the authors of the study indicate that knee stress should not be the only factor to consider, especially for older or infirm individuals who might be at greater risk for accidents when wearing loose fitting shoes like flip-flops.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that leads to the breakdown of the cartilage in your joints Cartilage is important as a shock absorber between the bones, and when it degrades, it increases the chances of the bones rubbing together. Over time, this bone-to-bone contact can cause permanent damage to the joint.

While osteoarthritis is not life threatening, it causes pain and swelling in the joints, and usually results in the reduction in the range of motion. The condition can affect any joint in the body, though it mostly occurs in the hands, knees, hips and spine. Certain conditions predispose individuals to osteoarthritis, including being overweight, age, and previous injuries.

If you are experiencing chronic joint pain and have questions or concerns regarding osteoarthritis, speak with your physician. For more information on the subject, visit the websites for the National Institutes of Health and the Arthritis Foundation.