A Brief Introduction to Orthopedic Shoe Companies - Part 3

BROOKS

Brooks® Sports, Inc. is a leading running company that designs and markets a line of high-performance men's and women's running shoes, apparel and accessories in more than 40 countries worldwide.

Designed to elevate the running experience, Brooks' advanced stability, cushioning and motion control gear is recognized as the product of choice among runners of all levels. Entirely focused on the run, we are dedicated to inspiring people to run and be active. Brooks creates innovative equipment that keeps you running longer, farther and faster—and with more enjoyment of the run.

We are proud of our hard-earned reputation for engineering footwear that provides the best possible fit for runners. Sports medical professionals, industry magazines, top runners and retailers worldwide praise Brooks for offering a full line of performance footwear that caters to the unique needs of every running profile. Brooks’ proprietary platforms – Linear®, Universal® and Curved™ – combined with width offerings up to 4E meet a wide variety of runners’ needs.
Brooks is responsible for unveiling many breakthrough advancements in footwear including HydroFlow® FLX, an innovative technology that delivers unsurpassed cushioning; Diagonal Rollbar, a high-tech feature that’s like a dream come true for overpronators; and Ethylene Vinyl Acetate™, a pioneering midsole material that’s now an industry standard. Other technologies introduced by Brooks include Podular Technology, e-Fusion and Substance 257. Our award-winning apparel line fuses function with fashion by using the most lightweight, moisture-moving fabrics including Brooks-owned HVAC, Silc, Aireplex and Vapor Dry™.

Brooks' biomechanics professionals, engineers and industry scientists work to ensure that all of our footwear products meet the biomechanical needs of runners, enhance comfort and aid in the prevention of running-related injury.

For more information, please check out the Brooks website - its link is located on the info-bar to the right.

(Information gathered from the Brooks website)

A Brief Introduction to Orthopedic Shoe Companies - Part 2

AETREX

Founded in 1946, Aetrex is a $60 million dollar family-owned corporation widely recognized as the global leader in pedorthic footwear and foot orthotics. Originally known for the landmark development of arch supports and medically-oriented footcare products, followed by numerous innovations in the over-the-counter insole market, Aetrex is now on the fast track toward major industry and consumer recognition in the U.S. and throughout the world. The company’s innovative new lines of fashion-forward high performance sport, dress and casual footwear for men and women, are creating a high level of industry “buzz” – and have arrived just in time to appeal to a massive, aging Baby Boomer generation that will no longer settle for “your grandfather’s footwear.”

Although footwear is a major Aetrex focus, the company has also pioneered an industry-altering technological innovation, the iStep, its patented foot scanning technology for both the retail and medical communities. Aetrex developed the technology in order to help consumers identify their arch type, shoe size and pressure points (known in the pedorthic industry as the “3 Essentials”) and to custom select the ideal footwear and orthotics for their feet. Launched in 2002, iStep is easily the leading digital foot analysis system, and is offered as a free service to consumers at more than 4,500 locations throughout the world.Aetrex also owns and maintains the world’s most popular foot health website – Foot.com, which hosts more than 300,000 visitors per month and was named by Yahoo! as the best health care site “below the knee.”

For more information, please check out the Aetrex website - its link is located on the info-bar to the right.

(Information gathered from the Aetrex website)

My Toes Sure Do Hurt But They Don't Look Like Hammers!

Hammertoe is a deformity of the second, third or fourth toes. In this condition, the toe is bent at the middle joint, resembling a hammer. Left untreated, hammertoes can become inflexible and require surgery. People with hammertoe may have corns or calluses on the top of the middle joint of the toe or on the tip of the toe. They may also feel pain in their toes or feet and have difficulty finding comfortable shoes. Causes of hammertoe include improperly fitting shoes and muscle imbalance.

Treatment for the condition typically involves shoes with soft, roomy toe boxes and toe exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles. Commercially available straps, cushions or non-medicated corn pads may also relieve symptoms.

Visit our On-Line Store for products to help you with your hammertoes! http://www.ourdoctorstore.com/vail/

(Information gathered from The Advanced Footcare Clinic)

A Brief Introduction to Orthopedic Shoe Companies - Part 1

ACOR

Acor Orthopaedic is comprised of pedorthists, orthotists, and prosthetists dedicated to the design and manufacturing of medical-grade footwear products. The most important elements, of which, are function and comfort for the end user.

Acor, established in 1972, is a family-owned, Cleveland, Ohio-based company. The principals include Greg Alaimo, Certified Pedorthist and Jeffrey Alaimo, Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist. Acor is a designer and manufacturer of pedorthic products consisting of:
Comfort Footwear
Foot Orthotics
Custom Footwear and Orthotics
Fabricating Materials

For more information, please check out the Acor website - its link is located on the info-bar to the right.

(Information gathered from the Acor website)

A Few Simple Ways to Keep Your Feet and Ankles Pain Free - Part 4

Balancing Exercise

1. Stand up straight. With your eyes open and your arms out to the side, lift your left/right foot so you're balancing on the other leg. Hold for 10 seconds. Return to starting position.

2. Repeat step 1 with your eyes closed. Hold for 10 seconds. Return to starting position.

3. Repeat 5 times. Do 3 sets a day.

Caution - Stand near a sturdy counter, chair, or wall in case your lose your balance. Do this exercise in bare feet.

Hopefully with carefull attention to the instructions given for these four foot and ankle exercises, you are well on your way to keeping yourself pain free!

(Information gathered from The StayWell Company pamphlet)

A Few Simple Ways to Keep Your Feet and Ankles Pain Free - Part 3

Ankle Circles

1. Sit straight-legged on the floor or other firm surface.

2. Resting your lrft/right calf on a rolled-up towell, use your foot to draw circles in both directions or write the letters of the alphabet in the air.

3. Continue for 10 seconds. Do 5 times a day.

Caution - If your ankle is swollen, make sure it is elevated above your hip.

(Information gathered from The StayWell Company pamphlet)

A Few Simple Ways to Keep Your Feet and Ankles Pain Free - Part 2

Bent-Knee Calf Stretch

1. Stand an arm's length away from a wall. Place the palms of your hands about 12 inches with your left/right foot.

2. Keeping toes pointed forward and both heels on the floor, bend both knees and lean forward. Hold for ten seconds. Relax.

3. Repeat 5 times. Do 3 sets (5 times) a day.

Caution - Don't arch your back or hunch your shoulders.

Tomorrow...Ankle Circles.

(Information gathered from The StayWell Company pamphlet)

A Few Simple Ways to Keep Your Feet and Ankles Pain Free - Part 1

Foot and Ankle Exercises - These exercises are designed to stretch and strengthen your feet and ankles. While exercising, breathe normally and don't bounce. If you feel pain, stop the exercise. If pain persists, inform your doctor.

Straight-Knee Calf Stretch

1. Stand an arm's length away from a wall. Place the palms on your hands on the wall. Step forward about 12 inches with your left/right foot.

2. Keeping toes pointed forward and both heels on the floor, lean toward the wall. Bend your forward leg, but keep your back leg straight. Hold for 10 seconds. Relax.

3. Repeat 5 times. Do 3 sets (5 times) a day per leg.

Caution - Don't arch your back or hunch your shoulders.

Coming tomorrow...Bent-Knee Calf Stretch

(Information gathered from The StayWell Company pamphlet)

What Is This Painful Bump On My Toe?

Corns are calluses that form on the toes because the bones push up against the shoe and put pressure on the skin. The surface layer of the skin thickens and builds up, irritating the tissues underneath. Hard corns are usually located on the top of the toe or on the side of the small toe. Soft corns resemble open sores and develop between the toes as they rub against each other. Improperly fitting shoes area leading cause of corns. Toe deformities, such as hammertoe or claw toe, also can lead to corns. In a visit to our office, your corns can be shaved with a scalpel. Self care includes soaking your feet regularly and using a pumice stone or callus file to soften and reduce the size of the corn. Special over-the-counter non-medicated donut-shaped foam pads also can help relieve the pressure.

A corn on your toe is another excellent reason to come to the Clinic to get the PERFECT shoe for you!

Visit our On-Line Store for products to help you with your corns and calluses! http://www.ourdoctorstore.com/vail/

(Information gathered from The Advanced Footcare Clinic)

What Is A Bunion?

More than half the women in America have bunions, a common deformity often blamed on wearing tight, narrow shoes. Bunions cause the base of your big toe (Metatarsophalangeal Joint) to enlarge and protrude. The skin over it may be red and tender. Wearing any type of shoe may be painful. This joint flexes with every step you take. The bigger your bunion gets, the more it hurts to walk. Bursitis may set in. Your big toe may angle toward your second toe, or even move all the way under it. The skin on the bottom of your foot may become thicker and painful.

Most bunions can be treated without surgery by wearing protective pads to cushion the painful area, and of course, avoiding ill-fitting shoes in the first place.

Sounds like a good reason to put your feet into a new pair of Natural Step Shoes!

Visit our On-Line Store for products to help you with your bunions! http://www.ourdoctorstore.com/vail/

(Information gathered from The Advanced Footcare Clinic)

Why Should You Be Wearing Step Alive Shoes?

Poorly fitting shoes can cause bunions, corns, calluses, hammertoes, and other disabling foot problems. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS), one in six persons or 43.1 million people in the U.S. have foot problems. Thirty-six percent regard their foot problems as serious enough to warrant medical attention. The cost of foot surgery to correct foot problems from tight-fitting shoes is $2 billion a year, according to ACFAS. If time off from work for the surgery and recovery is included, the cost is $3.5 billion.

(Information gathered from The Advanced Footcare Clinic)

Women's Shoes

Women, you also can find a great-looking and comfortable shoe that is designed to match your personal fashion tastes! Ten styles in a variety of colors are available to fit your needs.

(Information gathered from Natural Step brochure, http://www.naturalstepshoes.com/)

Men's Shoes

Men, you can find the style of shoe that fits your style! Natural Step offers eight different models in a variety of colors including bone, black, pecan, white and mocha.

(Information gathered from Natural Step brochure, http://www.naturalstepshoes.com/)

Why Are Natural Step Shoes Better?

Here are some features of the Natural Step Therapeutic Shoe line:

• Vegetable tanned leather lining
• Padded collar for ankle and heel comfort and control
• Speed laces
• One-quarter inch leather lined removable EVA foot bed
• Extra depth tow box
• Heal and ball area gel inserts for extra cushioning
• Additional 4mm layer of EVA cushioning
• Multi-density polyurethane rocker outsole
• True out-flare sole design for optimum stability and control

(Information gathered from Natural Step brochure, http://www.naturalstepshoes.com/)