How Can Proper Footwear Help My Bunions?

Birkenstock is a German orthopaedic footwear company and has been manufacturing footwear since 1774.

The Birkenstock arch suppport, or more commonly known as the “Blue Footbed”, was Birkenstock’s first mass produced product. The Blue Footbed is designed in the shape of a healthy foot, contouring to fit all three arches in the rear of the foot. The current version has been tuned to perfection with the use of today’s modern computer imaging technology. The philosophy behind Birkenstock’s approach to orthopaedic’s is to support the foot as if it were healthy, knowing that since the foot is quite flexible, it will return to it’s original shape.

The Blue Footbed is made out of a flexible cork and lined with silk, one of the most environmentally sound investments in foot health. The benefits are evident with the realignment of the bones in the feet and the consequent realigning of the human skeletal system. This results in improved posture, increased blood circulation and reduction of stress on all of the structural joints, ankles, knees, hips & spine.

Custom-Made Orthotics are prescribed to a patient who has either foot pain and or other structural issues causing pain. The process involves taking an imprint of the patient’s foot, usually in a foam box, and then either casting a plaster cast or sending the imprint away to be “matched” to the appropriate orthotic. The majority of today’s custom orthotics are simply stocked on a shelf, and are not actually manufactured to specifications. There may be a greater success rate with those that are manufactured.

The philosophy of the custom-made orthotics seems to be that custom is better, therefore the price can be raised to the limits that the market will bear. Unfortunately, in my opinion, doing the custom orthotics is a mistake. If you are in pain (the reason that you would seek help) chances are that your feet are out of alignment. If they take an impression of your feet when you are ailing, they will supply you with an “orthotic” (and I use the term loosely here) that will only support you to this level of misalignment. In other words, rather than putting total support under your feet, they are providing you with a shim, to stop your foot from collapsing any further. To further add insult to injury, a large percentage of these custom orthotics are made out of a hard plastic and provide no give, so your feet have to suffer even further.

So, which is better for you? You be the judge, but in my opinion the Birkenstock Blue Footbed is by far the best solution.

Click Here To SHOP at Happy Feet Plus

Regards,

Jacob

Heel Spur – two words that create an immediate uneasy feeling of pain. In most cases you can avoid developing heel spurs (got that tingley feeling again?) by treating the cause.

While it is unclear exactly why and how heel spurs develop, it is commonly agreed upon that they occur after a plantar fascia sprain. When the plantar fascia is pulled away from the Calcaneum bone (see Three Arches of the Foot) the result is Plantar Fasciitis (see Plantar Fasciitis.) If the Plantar Fasciitis is not addressed, the prolonged stress does not allow the plantar fascia to heal properly, often resulting in the development of a calcium deposit, or Heel Spur.

Proper support of the medial arch (see Three Arches of the Foot) is probably the single most important thing to do to help recover from Plantar Fasciitis or a Heel Spur. Footwear with pronounced arch support, like Birkenstock or Finn Comfort, are a great choice. Their cork footbeds will also conform to your unique foot shape for a custom fit. Wearing the Kenkoh sandal will help dissolve the calcium deposit and aid in the healing process.

Click Here To SHOP at Happy Feet Plus

Regards,

Dave

I recently was asked about collapsed arches, so I did some research. From what I’ve found, in the end collapsed arches and flat feet are the same. The difference is how they become flat.

Information about inherited “flat feet” is pretty slim, so I’m going to go out on a limb and make some educated guesses. Some (many) people with inherited flat feet don’t seem to have musculoskeletal problems. It looks like their bodies were “built” to a specification that included no medial arches. In the “old days” folks with flat feet received military deferments. More recent studies indicate that soldiers with flat feet do not have problems with marching long distances. If they don’t have foot aches then it seems that their bodies are dealing with flat feet just fine. But if they are experiencing foot pains (or ankle, knee, or hip pains) then some degree of arch support may be needed.

For those folks who have recently developed flat feet there is a whole different story. Typical reasons for the development of flat feet include:

• Age
• Disease (such as diabetes)
• Injury
• Obesity
• Pregnancy

The normal musculoskeletal system works to support the body, beginning with the feet. Any deviation from “normal” will create problems. Since it is normal for the feet to have a noticeable medial arch the body’s muscles and skeleton are structured with that in mind. A less than normal arch will cause misalignment of bones in the feet, ankle, knees, and hips. Muscles and ligaments in the feet (such as the Plantar Fascia) will be stretched and strained. Any one of the reasons above can cause the feet to flatten and create a set of other issues.

If life were simple the solution would be easy. You’d just buy a pair of shoes with good arch support and your body would be realigned, you’d lose weight, etc. Since life isn’t that simple you do what you can in steps. Certainly a supportive pair of shoes can never be a bad thing, and it’s a great place to start. From personal experience, I know the value of getting good arch support (see blog “Plantar Fasciitis”). Relieving the knee and hip pain allowed me to return to running.

Not all feet are the same and not all “supportive” footwear are the same. Try on different brands and see how they work for you. Or you can always contact our Customer Service Department (1-800-336-6657) or click on our live chat and we can help you identify a brand or style that might work well for you.

Great footwear at great prices. What a great deal! Stop by a Happy Feet Plus store near you and save.

Click Here To SHOP at Happy Feet Plus

Regards,

Dave

Does the bottom of your foot tingle, burn or feel numb?

If you have one or more of these symptoms you might be suffering from Morton’s Neuroma:

• Tingling, burning, or numbness
• Pain
• A feeling that something is inside the ball of your foot
• A feeling that your sock is bunched up

So, what is a neuroma?

A neuroma is a thickening of nerve tissues and may occur in almost any part of the body. This thickening, or enlargement, is the result of compression and irritation of the nerve. This compression creates enlargement of the nerve, eventually leading to permanent nerve damage.

Morton’s Neuroma is the most common foot neuroma. Morton’s Neuroma develops between the third and fourth toes. In this area of the foot part of the lateral plantar nerve combines with part of the medial plantar nerve. Where these two nerves merge they are usually larger in diameter than those going to the other toes. Also contributing to potential problems, the nerve lies close to the surface of the skin and to an artery and vein.

As a result, even a small amount of squeezing or irritation of the nerve can lead to the development of a neuroma. Pointy-toed shoes or high-heeled shoes are typically the cause of irritation.

People with bunions, hammer toes, or flat feet are more likely to develop a neuroma.

Once the pain starts, what should I expect?

• At first you may only feel the discomfort when wearing certain pointy-toed shoes or doing some activity that aggravates the affected area.
• The symptoms might go away when you remove the shoe or massage the foot.
• Over time the symptoms worsen and may continue for several days or weeks.
• The symptoms will become more intense as the neuroma enlarges and the temporary changes in the nerve become permanent.

What can I do to lessen or eliminate the pain?

• The first thing to do is to stop wearing the pointy-toed and high-heeled shoes.
• Reduce or stop any activities that place repetitive pressure on the nerve.
• Begin wearing supportive footwear with a wide toe box like Birkenstock or Finn Comfort, or use high-quality shoe inserts such as the Birkenstock or Birki insoles.
• Place an icepack on the affected area to help reduce swelling.

Click Here To SHOP at Happy Feet Plus

Regards,

Dave

Don’t Neglect Your Feet, They Need Support Too.

Although it seems pretty obvious that the human body was not designed to walk or stand on hard surfaces all day long, many of us wear footwear that does nothing to soften the impact to our feet, legs, and back. Even more obviously bad for us, but done in the name of high fashion, are high heeled and pointy toed shoes.

The results of this neglect, or ignorance, are ailments like plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, hammer toes, bunions, knee pains, back aches, and more. Fortunately there are non-invasive remedies that can lessen or even reverse these ailments.

Feet need to be supported. Feet are designed to support the body while walking on soft ground. As the heel hits the ground it compresses and indents the soil. The arch area is filled by the ground and is supported as foot rolls towards the toes. By supporting the arch properly the plantar fascia is not stressed and the knees and back are kept in natural alignment.

Since we usually walk on hard surfaces, like sidewalks and tile, we need to compensate for the lack of softness and compression that soil provides. Supportive and flexible footbeds and insoles are the best available solution.

Toes need wiggle room. Footwear with a wide toe box may not make a splash on a Paris fashion runway, but trading in your pointy toed shoes sure will make your bunions feel better (or better yet, never develop). Avoiding high heeled shoes can keep you from developing hammer toes or metatarsalgia.

To feel your best you need Happy Feet. If you noticed a theme here, you’re right. Supportive insoles, wide toe box, and neutral heel cup – all of these are found in footwear that is good for you and your feet (and knees, and back). That’s who we are and what we believe. For 25 years Happy Feet Plus has been providing customers with footwear that makes you feel good. And when you feel good, you look good. Who needs those high heeled, pointy toed shoes anyway?

Click Here To SHOP at Happy Feet Plus

Regards,

Dave

Summertime is coming and the last thing you want is to have bent up hammer toes sticking out of those cool new sandals from Happy Feet Plus. If you want your feet to look as great as those new sandals read on.

What if you have been wearing shoes that are too tight either in width or length? One outcome could be hammer toes. Sometimes hammer toes are an inherited (thanks mom and dad) or are the result of earlier trauma. But most often result from wearing ill-fitting shoes.

If you recognize early enough that you are developing hammer toes and you begin wearing properly fitting footwear (from Happy Feet Plus, of course) you can stop, or at least slow, the progression of the ailment. Early recognition and correction is important. If you continue to wear ill-fitting shoes not only will your feet turn ugly but you’ll most likely develop bunions, corns and calluses.

There is hope. Treatment begins when you decide to stop wearing those high heel pointy-toe shoes. Instead look for shoes that have a soft roomy toe box. Manufacturers such as Birkenstock, Finn Comfort, Birki’s, Alpro, Footprints, Tatami, Papillio produce a wide selection of footwear that will help alleviate hammer toes. Footwear from these manufacturers typically have wide toe boxes and exceptional arch support.

Click Here To SHOP at Happy Feet Plus

Regards,

Dave

As promised here’s some info about the three arches of your foot.

Most of this information is taken from content that can be found at happyfeet.com/3-arches.aspx.

The bones provide the framework around which the ligaments, tendons and muscles form the supporting structure of the foot.

The largest longitudinal arch is the Medial Arch. It is located on the inside of the foot and is typically described as “Flat”, “Normal” or “High” (see last week’s blog for more information).

The Lateral Arch is the smaller of the two longitudinal arches and is found on the outside part of the sole.

The Metatarsal Arch is the primary transverse arch. This arch created by the Metatarsals is not as obvious as the large Medial Arch, but without support it too can cause painful injuries such as Metatarsalgia.

Footwear with good arch support, especially in the Medial and Metatarsal Arches, can help people suffering from Plantar Fasciitis or Metatarsalgia.

Wearing supportive footwear can also help prevent foot ailments. Finn Comfort and Birkenstock footbeds provide excellent Medial, Lateral and Metatarsal Arch support.

Supportive footwear like Birkenstock or Finn Comfort also have desired features like a wide toebox and a broad, stable sole which can help people suffering from Morton’s Neuroma, Hammer Toes, or Bunions.

Click Here To SHOP at Happy Feet Plus

Regards,

Dave

Everyone knows that to get a proper fit you need footwear of the right length and width for your feet. That’s pretty much a “duh” statement. But did you know that it’s just as important to get footwear with the right arch support for your specific foot type? To get the proper support to align your body you need good arch support like you will find in footwear from Birkenstock, Birki’s, Alpro, Footprints, Tatami, Papillio, and Finn Comfort.

Here’s some guidance on determining your Arch Type.

The medial arch is the largest of the foot’s arches. It runs from the heel to the ball of the foot. This is the arch that is most commonly thought of when a discussion about foot arches comes up in conversation. (I know, it’s not your everyday table talk topic, but bear with me.)

There are three basic types of medial arches – Flat, Normal and High.

Wet Test Procedure

1. While seated remove shoes and socks and place construction paper or paper bag on the floor.
2. Place either foot in water.
3. While still seated, place your damp foot on the paper; exert pressure to simulate standing.
4. Do not stand or walk while your feet are wet.
5. Remove your foot from the paper and dry completely.
6. Repeat the process with your other foot.
7. Compare the image(s) on the paper to the ones on this page to determine your arch type.

Now that you know your arch type how do you use that information to buy the right shoe, sandal or clog? Talk with your footwear professionals, such as your local Happy Feet Plus store or with our online footwear professionals via live chat at www.happyfeet.com or by calling 1-800-336-6657. Describe your arch type and any other foot issues and our footwear professionals can help identify brands and styles most appropriate for your needs.

Next time I’ll talk a bit more about the three arches of the foot. Stay tuned.

Click Here To SHOP at Happy Feet Plus

Regards,

Dave