Back in the day­—when the word “thong” wasn’t better associated with skimpy skivvies—flip-flops were shoes you wore only to the pool or in grimy public showers. But oh how terminology, trends and tastes have shifted in favor of simple, spongy shoes, which are now common apparel for everything from formal events to physical activities.

“Sadly, we even see them at the office because people think it’s acceptable,” says Suze Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion editor for Glamour magazine. Schwartz gives her nod for the most inappropriate wearing of flip-flops to the members of the Northwestern University women’s lacrosse team who wore their foamy footwear to a White House photo op in 2005.

Indeed, no flip-floppers are more devoted than comfort-craving college students, who, strapped for time and cash, can slip on the inexpensive accessory on their way out the door.

“I wear them all the time. I think I even wore them to a funeral once,” says Zachary Sherman, Coldwater, Kan., freshman, adding that the convenience and comfort of flip-flops keep him sporting them even when temperatures dip close to freezing.

But foot experts say flip-flops aren’t fit for the role of casual, on-the-go footwear that they’ve come to play in some people’s wardrobes.

“Your classic flip-flop was not designed to do a lot of standing and walking in,” says Lawrence R. Gaston, a Lawrence podiatrist. “They’re hard on knees, ankles and your back because it’s just not giving your foot a lot of support.”

Gaston says the feet, ankles, knees, hips, back and shoulders are all connected in what’s known as the kinetic chain. Improper care of one area of the chain can lead to problems in the other areas.

For people who are flat-footed or have feet with average arches, consistently wearing shoes like flip-flops that have no support can cause feet to rotate inward, Gaston says. For the remainder of the population with high arches, flip-flops can cause feet to rotate outward. While the shoes may feel comfortable, if feet are rotating either direction, this can make ankles, knees and hips rotate as well, possibly affecting posture and creating pain up through the links of the kinetic chain.

“Shoes that you should wear everywhere are ones designed to keep your foot neutral, neither rolling in or rolling out, which is the best position a foot can function in,” Gaston says. “A flip-flop doesn’t do anything to keep your foot in that neutral position.”

And there’s more—flip-flops pack a greater disadvantage than other open, sandal-style shoes because they don’t have a back, which causes toes to tighten to keep the shoe in place as a person walks. Not only can the toes’ constant gripping result in fatigued feet but, according to Gaston, in extreme cases, a person’s second, third and fourth toes can become permanently bent at the middle joint, a deformity known as hammertoes.

Gaston advises students to think of walking on campus as exercising and to choose footwear that they would normally wear for a workout. But while most people wouldn’t exercise in flip-flops, some enthusiasts, like Emily Seifert, St. Marys, Kan., senior, says the shoes have risen to the challenge.

“I’ve worn them on days when I’ve played baseball and even kickball,” Seifert says. The simplicity of sliding on a pair of flip-flops and being on her way is what makes them so appealing to her. “I’m not a morning person at all, so I don’t want to mess with socks and shoes and having to tie anything,” Seifert says. Despite stubbed toes and dozens of broken pairs, she says she can be found clad in flip flops rain or shine, trudging up and down the hill or simply standing around at work. Seifert does, however, suggest checking your employer’s dress code before donning what some might see as unprofessional apparel.

“The persona that comes with wearing flip-flops isn’t very good,” Seifert says. “But these are the most comfortable things I own, and at the end of the day, my feet actually hurt less in these. They’re the closest you can get to walking barefoot, so they can’t be that bad.”

But flip-flops as nature’s intended footwear isn’t a sound defense, says Lawrence podiatrist James E. Reeves, because humans are no longer perpetually barefooted beings.

“Our feet have changed since we’re so used to having shoes on,” Reeves says. “When you then wear a shoe with no support, it creates lots of problems.”

Flip-flops are better than going shoeless and are okay when worn occasionally and in rotation with other shoes, Reeves says. But, he adds, changing the color of the shoe is not changing the shoe itself. “If it’s the same make, it’s the same problem.”

Fortunately, flip-flops that are better for your body have clopped onto the scene. Gaston recommends brands like Bite (www.biteshoes.com) and Teva (www.teva.com), and flip-flops made by athletic apparel companies like Nike and Adidas, which use the technologies of athletic shoes to make flip-flops with better support that will still keep yours among the fashionably elite feet. So although your parents may still ask why you’re running around in thongs, you can roam easy knowing your flip-flops are providing a better bottom for your step.