How To Keep Your Party Shoes On This Holiday Season

Time Too Put On Your Dancing Shoes and Party!

You know the stilettos. Ouch!

'Tis the season to go into your shoe closet and pick out the hottest pair of party shoes your feet will tolerate and the question you probably ask yourself is, "How long can I wear them before I have to kick them off and switch to flats or go barefoot?" You know the ones, platform pumps, boots and sandals, stilettos and peep hole wedge sandals from designers such as Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, Miu Miu, and Yves Saint Laurent. Depending on how much bubbly you have consumed during the evening, your pain tolerance and luck who knows how long they could last.

As we all know, there is a price to pay.

So, here are some toe and foot tips to prepare your feet for the holiday season and lower the price.

Never try and stuff your feet in a pair of shoes that does not fit just because they go with your outfit. That is a recipe for foot disaster. Bring a pair of ballet type flats with you just in case your feet start talking. Check the lining of your shoes to make sure there is no source of irritation to the top of the toes, sides, and back of the foot.

Fashionistas Beware

High fashion shoes can cause low back pain, blisters on the tops of toes, ingrown toe nails, arch cramps, tendon problems and ball of the foot pain. Blisters are formed because of friction or constant rubbing of your toes that occur in the toe box. When you wear shoes that are a bit too small, they can cause toe jamming where the tips of your toes will abut up against the end and top of the toe box and buckle the toes. This can lead to blister formation on the top and tip of the toes, pain, swelling and redness on the pads of your toes. Pumps with a narrow or shallow toe box can also irritate toenails that are too thick causing toe pain or increased pressure along the sides of the great toe nails eventually causing an ingrown toe nail to develop.

If the slope of the pump or wedge is to steep it will throw your body forward. This can create balance and low back problems when walking or standing. Problems can also develop in the arch, on the ball of the foot or on top of the foot where the toes bend. Shoes that narrow towards the toes can place pressure on an already existing bunion deformity. Wearing pumps over a prolonged period of time can cause the Achilles tendon to shorten. Women who experience this are not as comfortable wearing flats as they are wearing pumps.

Foot and Shoe Solutions

Band-Aids are one way to protect your toes in pumps from blisters or other pressure points. They are great in emergency situations to reduce skin irritation and friction. There are also many over the counter products you can purchase on line or at a pharmacy to protect your feet. Metatarsal pads can be placed on the ball of the foot to relieve pressure, silicone toe sleeves can wrap around toes and protect them or soft foam insoles can be placed in your shoes to cushion the entire foot. Instant Arches® is another product available on line to make pumps more comfortable. They will eliminate arch cramping, foot slippage and ball of the foot pain in pumps, wedges and boots.

In order to enjoy the holidays, wear shoes that fit, protect your feet against blistering, cramping and toenail problems. Then dance happily ever after!

HELP ME IS IT A SHOE PROBLEM OR A FOOT PROBLEM!!!

What can you do to make your uncomfortable shoes comfortable……

In order to make those uncomfortable shoes more comfortable, you have to become your own shoe doctor! Shoes are designed to be hot and sexy; they are not always made to be comfortable. So the question is... Is it a shoe problem or a foot problem that makes shoes uncomfortable?

The answer is both!

Structural reasons:

The reasons why the foot can be the problem are because it may be too wide for a normal last shoe because of lumps and bumps that can develop on sides and top of the foot. They are bone deformities called bunions, hammer toes and bone spurs. The ones associated with the great toe are known as a bunion (Hallux Abducto Valgus) foot deformity, the fifth toe deformity is called a tailor’s bunion and on the top of the toes, hammertoes can develop. Bone spurs can form on the top of the foot. These boney problems can cause skin irritations, superficial skin ulcers, corn formations and calluses on the ball of foot. Ouch!

The foot can also be too narrow and create problems when wearing shoes. Women who have a narrow heel have a terrible time finding shoes that fit properly. When you walk the foot will slip or slide in the shoe and blisters can develop on the back of the heel or on the tops of the toes. A bone spur can form on the back of the heel because of this and this is called a “pump bump”. This occurs because of friction or repetitive rubbing of the foot against the lining of the shoe either in the heel counter or toe box.

Hormonal reasons:

Women’s feet can also change during pregnancy because of the hormone called relaxin which is released in your body during pregnancy. Relaxin targets weight baring ligaments in the pelvis during child birth. It also affects the ligaments in the arch of the foot which can cause them to stretch and the foot may get longer and wider. Therefore, over the course of a pregnancy feet can change a shoe size becoming larger. Unfortunately once they change size, it’s permanent and does not return back to the original shoe size. Shoe companies must love this naturally occurring phenomenon.

Could it be the shoes?

Yes, shoe designs can be a factor; some of the hottest shoes on the market are not always the most comfortable shoes to wear. Ladies, you know the ones! There are certain parts of every shoe that can commonly cause problems. The toe box may be too shallow or narrow causing skin irritations or a prominent seam may be present in the lining of the toe box and rubs the sides or top of the toes. Shoe designs can also be hazardous to your foot’s well being. If the slope of the shoe is too acute it could place pressure on the ball of the foot or it could affect the arch resulting in muscle spasms and cramping.

Become your own shoe doctor:

To become your own shoe doctor, you do not have to go to podiatry school! All you need to do is follow these recommendations and you “will walk happily ever after “. When purchasing a new pair of shoes check to see if there is enough wiggle room in the front of the shoe (toe box) so your toes are not cramped or feeling unnecessary pressure. If you see redness on the top or sides of your toes after trying on a new pair of shoes, that is an indication that they are to tight and could lead to developing corns, blisters and subsequent pain when wearing them for long periods of time. If you only plan to wear them into restaurant and kick them off once you get there, you are probably safe. Always make sure that you have at least a thumbs width between your longest toe and the end of the shoe.

Shoes that are slightly too big because your foot is narrow can cause the heel to pop out of the back, foot slippage or arch cramping when walking. Placing over counter arch products in your shoe such as Instant Arches ® can prevent the foot from slipping forward, pain in the ball of the foot and the arch from cramping. Another tip is to place an extra insole in the shoe which would fill in the extra space. Look for shoes that have soft fabrics so it can accommodate the annoying lumps and bumps often found on your feet. Shoe repair shops can also be helpful because they have the ability to stretch shoes and soften the leather if they are to narrow or increase the room in the toe box creating more wiggle room.

Doctoring your feet:

There many types of gel pads or toe caps that you can find over the counter to place around your toes to prevent corn and blister formation on the sides and tops of your toes. Moleskin, Band-Aids and metatarsal arch pads are also helpful to prevent skin irritations and reduce callus formation.

Messaging your feet with moisturizing cream will soften and hydrate rough, dry and fissured skin as well as relaxing the foot after a long day. This should be done before you fall asleep so it will have the opportunity to get absorbed. Look for moisturizing creams infused with ingredients such as Urea, Aloe, Vitamin E, Chamomile and Pure Essential Oils.

Information sources:

Going on the web is another source to find ways to make your shoes more comfortable, web sites such as ShoesTV specialize in helpful information about shoes.

Regardless of how uncomfortable your shoes were or how uncomfortable your feet were in shoes,

with these tips, “you can now walk happily ever after!"

www.instantarches.com

HOW TO FIND YOUR TRUE SHOE SIZE

Buying Shoes can be a challenge..........

Is it better to buy shoes that are too big or too small? How many times do you ask yourself that question? Or think to yourself “now that I bought these hot shoes, how can I make them fit and feel better”? These are questions that cross the minds of many women when purchasing the latest and hottest shoe styles.

In order to find your true shoe size when you are buying shoes use the Brackman shoe measuring device at the shoe store. That will give you both the width and length of your foot. There are many people who find after measuring their feet that they have one foot longer or wider than the other. This is a normal variant and there is nothing to worry about. One of the reasons why it happens can be genetic and you can blame it on mom or dad. The formation of bunions and tailor bunions are boney abnormalities that have a genetic predisposition and will change the anatomical boney alignment of the foot making it wider. Another reason could be because of a splay foot where the ligaments weaken and the foot can elongate and widen. Women during pregnancy may experience this type of phenomena because of the hormone Relaxin that is released to allow the ligaments in the pelvis to stretch during the time of delivery. The ligaments in the foot can also become affected and the foot can get wider and longer. However, once the foot gets longer or wider it does not go back to its original size.

The rule of thumb to live by when buying a pair of shoes is there should be a thumbs width between the tip of the longest toe in your foot and the end of the shoe. The first, second or third toes are often the landmarks because they are usually the longest toes in your foot.

Always buy a pair of shoes that fit the bigger foot. The reason for this is that you can place an over the counter insole in the larger one to either take up some of the room or prevent foot slippage. Never force your foot into a shoe that is too small or too tight. Wearing ill-fitting shoes can cause foot, ankle, knee and low back problems. Shoes that do not fit properly can throw your balance off and make you walk funny. If the shoe is too narrow you can develop ingrown toe nails, corns on the top and side of your toes and irritate the skin resulting in blister formation.

The solution to these problems is to take your time when selecting a new pair of shoes. Try not to buy shoes on emotion only. Hint; buy shoes during the time of the day that you would be probably wearing them because feet can often swell during the day. If your feet are swimming around inside the shoe and slipping forward, place an insole or an arch support in the shoe to take up some of the extra room as well as prevent the slipping. If the arch in your foot is cramping when wearing shoes that are a little too big and going into spasm because the toes are curling up inside the shoes, there is an over the counter shoe product available to prevent that problem. The product is called Instant Arches®. This oval shaped arch support product, one size fits all, stop the foot from moving forward in the shoe and prevent skin irritation. They will also support the arch and eliminate arch cramps.

No matter what type of shoe you buy, find your true shoe size in order to walk happily ever after!

Video link to find you true shoe size: www.instantarches.com

How to Stay on Top of Your Game

Whether you play baseball or softball, in order to be on top of your game your feet need to be in balance. Feet are the foundation to creating better balance in your game whether you are hitting, fielding, running or pitching. Poor foot biomechanics can affect the five tools of baseball and softball. The foot is designed to be a mobile adapter upon contact with the ground and a ridged lever during propulsion. If your feet are not properly supported in your cleats this could be caused by poor foot biomechanics which will result in foot instability.

There are 26 bones in each foot, therefore close to half the bones in our body are found in the feet. So when the foot hits the ground everything changes from the ground up. Whatever skill set you are trying to improve, establishing a controlled weight transfer through your feet will help you achieve your goal. When your feet abnormally pronate, it will cause your arch to collapse towards the ground and flatten out. Feet become unstable during this process and therefore your lower half will become less stable and imbalanced. This can result in losing power and efficiency in the lower half of your body whether you are hitting, fielding, running or pitching. As a hitter, the more stable your feet are in the batter’s box, the better balanced you become. When you’re fielding a ground ball you need to transfer your weight, plant your feet and throw. As a pitcher, balance is extremely important for accuracy and velocity. Speed is also a very important part of the game and if your feet are not properly supported it could be the difference between being safe or out when stealing, running to 1st base, tracking down a grounder or catching a fly ball in the outfield.

Whether you are hitting for average or power, a balanced hitter should be on the balls of their feet. Their knees should be bent and their feet should be slightly wider than their shoulders. As the pitcher releases the ball, the hitter is simultaneously loading and striding during the loading phase of their hitting cycle in preparation to hit the ball and getting their foot on the ground for bat impact. It is extremely important that your feet are stable and balanced to be able to transfer your body weight and energy through the lower half of the body. Without being able to control your body motion you will find yourself imbalanced, leaning or falling forward or backward. By stabilizing the foot, it becomes maintained in its neutral position allowing for greater foot and leg stability which helps create a stiff front leg and allows your hips to rotate better when hitting. This could be one of the differences between driving the ball hard and softly grounding or flying out.

Fielding is a multi directional activity requiring your feet to quickly move forward, backward or side to side depending where the ball is hit. Standing flat footed instead of on the balls of your feet will slow down your reaction time to the ball. When your feet are supported properly, the balls of your feet will be on the ground and your weight will be evenly displaced. Being more balanced will help you get an edge. It will improve your ability have a stable lower half and better foot mechanics when fielding and throwing.

Foot balance is equally important when pitching; a foot that is searching for stability on the mound can throw off a pitcher’s mechanics. In order to throw hard, whether the pitcher is a right or left hander, they must have all of their weight on the ball of the right or left foot, which will result in better positive outcomes.

The first step is the most important step you take either as a hitter coming out of the box or a fielder attempting to track a ball hit to your position. Unstable foot biomechanics will slow you down because the foot is not properly balanced. If you stabilize the foot with an arch support it will improve the player’s ability to be more successful.

So, improve your success and outcomes by being better balanced in all phases of the game.



Dr. Steven L. Rosenberg is the official Arch Specialist of Baseball Factory & Softball Factory. Dr. Rosenberg is a podiatrist in private practice spanning over 27 years, specializing in sports medicine, pain management and all other aspects of podiatry. His practice is located in Santa Monica, California. He has lectured worldwide and is a regularly featured blogger on the Huffington Post AOL. He has authored numerous articles on foot injuries, injury prevention, women’s shoe issues, foot biomechanics, and the treatment of foot problems through utilization of eastern and western medicine. Dr. Rosenberg is the CEO and President of Foot Products Enterprises Inc., which manufactures the unique arch product, Instant Arches® for baseball and softball. These Arches are also available for running shoes, all athletic shoes, sandals, flip flops casual and dress shoes. Dr. Rosenberg’s Instant Arches®, sold worldwide, are worn by men and women of all ages from preteens to adults. For more information on Instant Arches visit http://www.instantarches.com/ia-baseball.shtml.

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SPEED + AGILITY+ BALANCE = SUCCESS

It is a Matter of Seconds

Too get your feet on and off the ground when running for a fly ball, fielding a grounder, picking off a runner at first, hitting or running to any base takes a matter of seconds. The quicker your feet move the greater chance you have for achieving success. Agility, movement, speed is all about your feet being biomechanically balanced. While quick and stable feet create positive outcomes, a foot that is unstable wobbles from side to side.

A major reason why player’s feet are not stable is because they are not properly balanced. This is because of abnormal pronation and can be defined as instability of the joints in the middle of the foot (the mid-tarsal and subtaylor joints). Although pronation is normal and every foot pronates, excess or abnormal pronation is not. Abnormal pronation causes a player’s medial longitudinal arch or inner arch to stay collapsed throughout their entire movement cycle whether they are standing in the batter’s box or standing on the mound getting ready to pitch. It also affects the foot when running to field a ball or stealing a base. The plantar muscles in the foot fatigue because of continual repetitive activity of the arch collapsing during movement and become vulnerable to injury

Players can control abnormal foot pronation and improve their foot biomechanics by placing an arch support or a custom made orthotic in their baseball shoes. Orthotic foot supports should be placed in the shoes to provide the proper balance the foot needs to achieve better biomechanical balance and stability. Baseball shoes are designed to protect the foot and give the player better shock absorption, traction and stability when pitching, running / stealing, fielding or hitting. The shoe consists of many different parts with specific functions. They are not designed to biomechanically support the foot or prevent abnormal foot pronation.

Custom made orthotics made by a podiatrist or over the counter arch supports are the best ways to control abnormal foot pronation and improve foot biomechanics. Depending on how rigid the material the orthotic device is made of, it will determine how much support the foot will receive. The more rigid the materials used to make the orthotic device the more stable the foot will be in the baseball shoe.

Custom made orthotics are usually fabricated from a molded plaster cast of the foot that a podiatrist takes in his office and then sends to a specialized orthotic laboratory to design the product. They are made out of hard plastic or graphite materials. Orthotics stabilizes and aligns the joints in the foot below the ankle and middle of the foot. They create better muscle balance in the lower leg and foot and allow the ball of the foot to be firmly placed on the ground. These types of devices can reduce the risk of injuries to the foot.

Over the counter arch supports are usually made out of high density foam materials and are not as rigid as custom orthotics. Instant Arches® for baseball is an over the counter foam arch support that is specifically designed for baseball shoes. It supports the joints in the middle of the foot and below the ankle. It allows the ball of the foot to be placed firmly on the ground for stability.

The time it takes, for a player to get their feet on and off the ground can be the difference between a win and a loss. It’s a matter of seconds.

Summer Means Sandal Season

Summer Mean’s Its Sandal and Flip Flop Season

Its summer time ladies, so take out your summer sandals / flip flops and let your toes enjoy the freedom they have been waiting for all winter. For nine long dreary months your feet were held hostage in closed shoes or boots in order to survive the cold and wet weather. This probably caused the formation of painful corns, blisters, red irritated skin lesions on your feet and arch cramps. The reason those foot problems occurred is because of abnormal pronation and friction the foot experiences when sliding or moving around in a closed shoe.

Many people have either hammer toes, bunions or both which are genetically predisposed. So yes, you can blame these annoying, often chronic foot problems on mom or dad.

Corns do not grow; they form because of a very common bone problem called a hammer toe. They develop over a period of time due to constant rubbing of the skin over a prominent boney surface on the toe in a closed shoe. This results from the toe box of the shoe being too shallow and there not being adequate room for the toes to wiggle around comfortably.

Hammer toes develop because of abnormal foot pronation. As the arch of the foot begins to collapse during normal walking, the tendons in the top and bottom of the foot become unstable and imbalanced resulting in the toes attempting to grab the ground during walking. The toes begin to curl downward buckling at the middle toe joint causing a bone to pop up, hence the name hammer toe. Blisters, red irritated skin lesions or a hard thick painful corn can form on the top surface of the toe because of friction and can make shoe choices a nightmare.

Bunions can also be a challenge when wearing closed shoes. They too are caused by abnormal pronation. The muscles in the bottom of the foot become weakened due to the arch collapsing when standing, walking or running. This causes a muscle imbalance in the foot. The muscles attached to the big toe fatigue allowing the toe to drift and rotate laterally forming a bunion or boney prominence at the head of the first metatarsal bone. They can get red, swollen and painful limiting shoe wear.

Arch cramps are another byproduct of abnormal foot pronation. The muscles in the arch of the foot suffer from overuse, fatigue, and eventually go into spasm. This painful cramp can occur when the foot is at rest while in bed or when you’re performing normal daily activities.

The solution to eliminating shoe irritation and friction caused by wearing closed shoes is to break out your flat, casual and dress sandals or flip flops.

However, there are few things women must remember about wearing sandals and flip flops. One must be careful about the straps in some sandal styles and make sure they do not irritate the lumps and bumps on the toes. Also, many sandals and flip flops are not designed to support the arch or ball of the foot properly. So adding an arch or metatarsal support to your sandals is also a good idea. They will help reduce abnormal foot pronation as well as prevent foot slippage, arch cramping, ball of the foot pain and take pressure off the great toe joint or bunion.

There are now products available either through the internet or at shoe stores and drug stores. These products can be placed in your sandals and make them more supportive and comfortable. The products are usually made out of soft gels or foam materials. Instant Arches® for sandals and metatarsal pads are just a few of the products that can help make keep your feet happy.

So if you’re kind too your feet this summer, they will forgive for the torture they endured all winter.

Walking Happily Ever After in Spring Shoes!

It is now day light savings time and it is time to “Spring” forward.

Ladies, get your feet back in shape so they will look good and feel great when wearing the latest designs in open toed shoes, sandals and flip flops.

The most common types of foot problems that women complain about when they are walking in open toed shoes, sandals, or flip flops are toenail problems, arch cramps and pain in the ball of their feet.

Toenail problems known as “the ugly toenail syndrome” or nail fungus is mostly environmental. Nail fungus (onychomycosis) can start to develop in your toenails as just a tiny little yellow spec in the corner of the nail plate. It becomes hidden with the use of nail polish and before you know it the tiny spec has spread to a larger section of the toe nail. The reasons for acquiring fungus nail problems are walking barefoot in warm moist environments when showering at the gym or around a public pool. Chronic athlete’s foot which is found in between the toes can also be a reason why toenail fungus can occur. It somehow finds its way to the toenail and starts to affect the nail. Also, it can occur when soaking your feet in foot basins at nail salons before a pedicure.

To minimize exposure to the ugly toenail syndrome, always make sure the basins at foot salons are washed out with sterile solutions before your feet take the plunge. Wearing shower sandals at the gym when walking through the dressing room, shower or sauna areas will also protect your feet from many types of skin and nail problems. Drying in between your toes is equally important but often forgotten.

If fungus has found its way to your toenails, there are topical anti-fungal nail preparations that can be applied to the affected area which may help as well as prescription medications that can be prescribed by your Podiatrist or Dermatologist.

Style and fashion dictate shoe wear while comfort and support is mostly an afterthought. Walking comfortably in open toed shoes, sandals, and flip flops that do not provide adequate support can be a challenge. If your feet hurt when wearing the latest in fashion, everything can begin to bother you.

There are two areas of the foot that tends to cause foot pain when wearing shoes. The muscles in the arch and the ball of the foot. Arch pain can occur whether you have high arches or flat feet. Sandals, open toed shoes and flip flops are not usually designed to support high or low arches. Abnormal pronation causes the arch to collapse when walking. The lack of arch support in those types of shoes can cause the muscles in the plantar aspect of foot that support the arch to fatigue, collapse, get tired, cramp, spasm or become inflamed.

Pain that is found on the balls of the feet is a byproduct of friction shearing forces and the heads of the metatarsal bones grinding into the floor of the shoe. This sliding process can form thickened tissue underneath the head of the metatarsal bone that sometimes may have a core inside of it called a callus or a nucleated callus. Professionally having the callus tissue removed can be performed by a Podiatrist.

There is also another type of pain that can be found underneath the metatarsal heads of the foot. The pain is localized to the metatarsal heads and can be described as sharp or burning. It is triggered when the ball of the foot grinds into the floor of the shoe or when walking barefoot on hard floor surfaces. It is called metatarsalgia or metatarsal head bursitis. The bone tissue called the periostuim which covers the bone or the bursa, which is present underneath the heads of the metatarsal bones becomes inflamed. It is most commonly found underneath the heads of the second through fourth metatarsal bones.

Foot solutions to these problems are simply to use an orthotic device to support the arch which will redistribute the weight more evenly across the medial longitudinal and transverse arch. In sandals, open toed shoes and flip flops supporting the arch can be challenging. In closed shoes making a custom made orthotic or purchasing an over the counter arch support is fairly easy to do.

For open shoes there is now a product that will help solve that problem. Instant Arches® for Sandals and Flip Flops manufactured by Foot Products Enterprises Inc. www.instantarches.com is a new product that has been developed to provide arch support for those types of shoes. Its unique patented design will fit all sandal and flip flop styles. One size fits all, just remove the adhesive backing and place it into the arch area of the sandal or flip flops.

If the arch problems continue to persist seek medical attention. Podiatrists and Orthopedists are the medical professionals that treat those types of foot problems. Injection therapy, ice message, anti-inflammatory medication and electrical current therapy are the other medical treatment options available.