The island paradise of Hawaii is known for many things; its beautiful beaches, the local food, the adventurous hikes are just a few. One thing however that Hawaii is lesser known for is its’ fashion, specifically, the local population’s love of slippers (flip-flops) and their love of walking around barefoot. The most popular brand of slippers in Hawaii is a brand called “Locals”. These are made of a flat rubber material with a translucent plastic band to hold your foot in place. With the majority of the population wearing “locals” or walking barefoot for most of their lives, the likelihood of acquiring foot problems is extremely high.
Pyramid Rock, Kaneohe Hawaii
The population of the Hawaiian Islands is estimated at 1,415,872 people (1) with 15 practicing podiatrists currently in Hawaii (2). Hawaii is one of the states with the lowest number of podiatric professionals but has one of the highest demands due to the walking lifestyle of the local population. This lifestyle has become common from the time of immigrants working on the Hawaiian sugar cane plantations (3).
Sugar cane cutting, Kauai, Hawaii, 1932 (4)
The prevalence of foot problems in Hawaii can be seen by looking at a local podiatrist owned company. The Ultimate Foot Store is a locally owned company that specializes in selling arch supports, supportive sandals and shoes, and other foot specialty items. The company is owned by a local podiatrist, Dr. Gregory Morris, who works out of Queen Liliʻuokalani Medical Center’s physician offices (5). The company started off in 2010 with one location, however, the popularity of supportive footwear among the locals has spread to the point where the company now has 6 locations throughout the island. With each location carrying everything from foot rollers to Hoka One One running shoes and Birkenstocks, it’s clear that the population of Hawaii had taken an interest in supportive footwear.
The Ultimate Foot Store at Ka Makana Alii in Kapolei (6)
To get an idea of how the local population has been affected, one of the companies repeat customers, Terri Wong, was interviewed outside of the pearl-ridge mall uptown location. Terri is a 54-year-old mother of two and is a patient of Dr. Morris. She had stated. “I’ve had plantar fasciitis for years and didn’t know it, I just thought I had bad feet. You wear “Locals” your whole life and no one says nothing, but when you get to be my age you realize how important your feet are. I bought some of those slippers here and it wasn’t a miracle cure, but it’s making each day possible for me”. Her sentiment on the effect of supportive slippers seems to be shared as one of the store managers; John Gorman stated “Our job is to help the local community get supportive footwear to improve their lifestyle, we’re here to help and it’s clear that there’s a large demand. Nothing is a quick fix, but we’re educating the public that there are options.” In a place that’s 24 times smaller than California but with a population of over a million people (7), the amount of podiatric professionals we have is not enough to educate and treat a population whose culture is to walk around barefoot. So maybe one day, if you’re looking for somewhere with a beautiful view of the ocean to work, consider Hawaii “Makemake wau e ʻike koke iā ʻoe, ma nā kahakai o Hawaii” (Translation:I hope to see you soon, on the beaches of Hawaii)
Reference:
(1)Census. (2019, December 30). Retrieved from https://census.hawaii.gov/.
(2)O'ahu Doctors: Foot Doctors in O'ahu, Hawaii. (2018). Retrieved from https://podiatristshawaii.com/oahu-doctors/.
(3)History of Labor in Hawai‘i. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hawaii.edu/uhwo/clear/home/HawaiiLaborHistory.html.
(4)“The Hawaii Nisei Story Americans of Japanese Ancestry During WWII.” Sugar Cane Cutting, Kauai , Library of Congress., http://nisei.hawaii.edu/object/io_1168534833171.html.
(5)Morris, G. (n.d.). Honolulu Podiatrist - Dr Gregory Morris, DPM - Foot Doctor Honolulu and Aiea, HI. Retrieved from https://www.drgregmorris.com/
(6)Silva, Brian. “Do Your Feet A Favor...” Eleve8 Hawaii , Elev8 Hawaii , 29 May 2017, https://www.elev8hawaii.com/single-post/2017/05/24/Do-Your-Feet-A-Favor.
(7)“Size of Hawaii Compared to California.” MyLifeElsewhere , https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/state-size-comparison/hawaii-usa/california-usa.