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-   -   Footwear Choices for Spine Patients (https://www.adrsupport.org/forums/showthread.php?t=8583)

Harrison 07-06-2008 07:55 AM

We’ve talked about footwear a bit in the past, but I thought I would bring it up again. These days, there seem to be lots of options, but I confess that I don’t really give my feet too much attention. Have folks found any particular footwear for:

- Indoors: slippers, socks, slipper socks
- Outdoors: unique sneakers, cross-trainers
- Corrective: orthotics

annapurna 07-06-2008 08:41 AM

It's expensive, but Laura and I use a custom boot/shoe maker who also makes orthodics. He's the Randy Merrell that Merrell shoes is named after. The shoes are very costly but the orthodics are fairly reasonable given the time he spends on gait analysis as well as molding the orthodic. He also seems to be unusual, at least for this area, in that he spends time to figure out how your foot needs to be loaded to correct your gait rather than just correcting for simple pronatio/supination.

Terry 07-06-2008 09:29 AM

I have been partial to MBT's which have allowed me to not have to use orthotics as I had done for many years. MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology and is a concept that is engineered to have your foot roll in to a step like a Masai Tribal Person walking in the sand. What this does is take away the impact that is placed on the lower spine with walking. The "roll part" of the shoe is cushioned causing your foot to roll in to the step like walking in sand and it eliminates the impact on the spine. I researched the shoe for a good year before I broke down and bought a pair. They are expensive. I now have two pairs and I walk with the almost exclusively. You do not put your orthotic in to the shoes as it defeats the purpose of the shoe. You can buy these at several different places though I can recommend a place to find them. They look a little odd from the sides but look normal when looking at them from the front. I absolutely love mine and swear by the benefits. Play the video from the link I am providing and it will explain all:

http://www.walkerswarehouse.com/mbt-...bt-shoes-dvd=1

Happy walking. http://adrsupport.org/groupee_common...on_biggrin.gif

Terry Newton

Harrison 07-06-2008 04:14 PM

Thx Terry, I am almost done watching the video. Very interesting and very expensive ($230-250). Any idea what the various medical professions say about this unusual design? And do you now think that this particular design is better for any spine patient? This is great -- especially if it's accurate for all different kinds of people and body types:

“…MBTs act as training equipment every step of the way. Whether you are shopping, working or just puttering around the house, MBT physiological footwear trains and tones muscles, burns calories and protects joints…”

Here’s the main web site: http://www.swissmasaius.com/Default.aspx?lang=en-US

Jim, Laura, are you back from Deutschland? Thx for the tip – I’ll check out http://www.merrell.com/

annapurna 07-06-2008 05:01 PM

Try http://www.randymerrell.com/index.htm not merrell.com. Randy Merrell left the company after realizing that he'd gotten too far away from actually making shoes for people.

Terry's solution seems to be cheaper for pronation/supination problems but it would seem like you'd need to do more for a leg length discrepancy.

And yes, we're back in the States. I added a comment to the recent Alpha Klinik discussion based on what we just learned (bad news) and Laura got out of needing more surgery. This time I was the lucky recipient having unrepaired damage to one knee following a fracture.

Harrison 07-06-2008 05:08 PM

Thanks U2. Hey, Randy seems like a neat guy. You may be out in the middle of nowhere, but you seem to have found some neat specialists in feet!

http://www.randymerrell.com/contact.htm

Terry 07-06-2008 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Harrison:
Thx Terry, I am almost done watching the video. Very interesting and very expensive ($230-250). Any idea what the various medical professions say about this unusual design? And do you now think that this particular design is better for any spine patient? This is great -- especially if it's accurate for all different kinds of people and body types:

“…MBTs act as training equipment every step of the way. Whether you are shopping, working or just puttering around the house, MBT physiological footwear trains and tones muscles, burns calories and protects joints…”

Here’s the main web site: http://www.swissmasaius.com/Default.aspx?lang=en-US

Jim, Laura, are you back from Deutschland? Thx for the tip – I’ll check out http://www.merrell.com/
I have spoke to several doctors about the design and they believe it is a great idea and sound in concept. It completely removes the impact from the lower spine while walking. I love mine and any amount of money is OK if it does what it says it is supposed to do. I went with one pair as an experiment and now have two pairs; one for dress and one for casual walking.

Terry Newton

Lisibug 07-07-2008 10:25 AM

I wear Birkenstocks or Birkenstock orthotics and have for many years, per a podiatrist who checked me out. I find these shoes/orthotics to be more comfortable to going barefoot - I love them. If you buy them on ebay, shoe stores sell them new, in boxes, for less than 1/2 the price in stores. I've bought so many pairs this way! Their 'Tatami' sub-brand have black soles, so they don't have the 'earth mother' look to them.

JudyW 07-07-2008 09:23 PM

I went to the Walking Store here in So. Cal. I tried on both the MBT and Earth Shoes. I ended up with the Earth Shoes. The tennis shoe style I bought are very heavy so I don't wear them as much. I also bought a pair of black boots from Earth shoes for work. I agree to paying any price for the perfect shoe for my back. You can get earth shoes all over or even on HSN shopping channel.

ZorroSF 07-08-2008 12:33 PM

I use birkenstocks. I have been through 3 orthodics from different doctors. I have really flat feet, and no orthodic has ever helped me, not even my pocketbook. Of the birkenstocks to buy there are really only three models that have kept the original arch. The milano, Arizona and Zurich. The original arch is of great importance for flat foot sufferers.

But hey think of this. You could go to an orthopedic specialist and get orthodics at around $1000 that includes doctor fees only to find out they are not correct for your feet and you need to find another podiatrist. Or, you can spend $100/ year on a pair of birkenstocks to wear indoors and outdoors and save yourself boatlodes of money. I try and buy two pairs each year.

I even chastise the podiatrists as to why I can spend $100 on Birkis and get better results than their multi-thousand dollar orthodics. Orthodics should be less than $300, but you have to factor in all the costs of x-rays and doctor fees. That's usually $1000 or more if they can't get it right the first time.


BTW if you like merrell check out http://www.danner.com


Those masai shoes are developed in Switzerland. Swizterland has one of the highest standards of living in the world. They also pay their employees (contractors are uncommon in corporations) a livable minimum wage of about $20. That should explain the high cost of these shoes.


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