New foot in the sand technology can solve many health problems

The foot is intended to be bare and on the ground. Modern shoes entomb feet and create a host of foot ailments. A new insole with “foot in the sand” technology revolutionizes foot comfort, alleviates pain and enhances athletic performance.

To read this article in it’s original format please click here:

http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/insoles.pdf

A vast array of after-market insoles has been merchandised through the years. Most of these consist of a bed of cushioning foam with only hints of accommodation for foot anatomy. Other than extremely expensive orthotic insoles,Guest Posting commercial varieties do little to solve the far-reaching problems of feet restricted in a quite unnatural device, the shoe.

A new ergonomically designed insole, based upon “foot-in-the-sand” technology©, has been developed. It is the result of several years of research in comparative anatomy, kinesiology (mechanics and anatomy of movement), ergonomics (human engineering for efficient and safe use) and testing in the most rigorous and demanding of sports and vocations.

http://www.wysong.net/images/insoles/sand.jpg

A Personal Note

My interest in functional footwear was forced upon me by many years of training in competitive badminton (not the recreational type played in backyards), an exceptionally rigorous sport including much jumping and rapid lateral and back and forth movements resulting in tremendous concussive and shear forces on the feet. I did the majority of my training on cement and over the years I discovered I was not made of steel. The first thing to suffer was my feet. The pain after a workout was so bad I had to lie in bed at night with my legs elevated on pillows so my heels were suspended and did not touch anything. Not willing to give up the sport, I set about looking for shoes and orthotics that would help. That process was unfruitful and in most cases exacerbated the problem. For example, the common solution to heel pain is to provide cushioning under the heel. That was my first impulse as well, but cushions there simply guaranteed more heel contact, the very thing my feet were crying out to avoid.

Frustrated with commercial products, I and the research staff at Wysong set about developing something that would work not only for me, but for anyone in sports and anyone wanting relief

from the incredible pounding the feet receive. This is the story of the results of over five years of research and development.

The Foot Is A Dynamic Structure

The foot is an exceedingly complex mechanical structure. It is comprised of 26 bones (25% of all the body’s bones!) as well as muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, sesamoids, nerves, lubricating fluids, pads, nails, veins, arteries and lymphatics, all comprising hundreds of interconnecting intricate parts. Modern shoes entomb the foot into a virtually immobile state – as if it were comprised of one piece – denying its important underlying functional and dynamic design. The foot has no rectangular or perpendicular edges and was not meant to be strapped to a platform. Conventional shoes are created for adornment (pointed shoes even have a sexual history) with only token considerations made for the critical needs of a living foot crying out for freedom from bondage and solitary confinement. In fact, 80% of all foot problems occur in women because of the distorting shoes they wear. Overweight individuals are even more prone to foot problems due to the compounded gravitational forces funneled down to the foot.

http://www.wysong.net/images/insoles/anatomy.jpg

Conventional shoes (better termed coffins) lead to a broad host of ailments. Similar to the binding used to create diminutive feet in Japanese women, modern shoes bind and misshape feet. The misshapen feet of modern adventurers who travel to primitive regions amaze barefooted natives who have naturally wide, toughened, prehensile, toe-spread feet.

The true potential of liberated toes becomes apparent in the disabled who have no hand function, yet learn to write and use eating utensils with their toes. In contrast, toes that have spent a lifetime in shoes can barely move. (see http://www.wysong.net/images/insole/bare.jpg) Feet are best thought of as analogues to the prehensile hands, not mere shock absorbing bumpers at the end of our legs.

The Foot’s Relationship To Health

The average adult walks five miles in the course of daily activities, and our feet absorb about 1,000 tons of force a day – much of it on hard surfaces. Improper footwear sends “dis-ease” up through the legs and spine, all the way to the cranium. Feet forced out of balance and inhibited from proper movement can result in corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, heel spurs, fascitis, sesamoiditis, tarsal tunnel, calconeal apophysitis, shin splints, torn Achilles tendons, sprains, broken ankles, joint pain and arthritis. Pelvic and hip problems as well as lower back and cervical (neck) disc problems can also result. Improper foot mobility interferes with blood and lymphatic circulation leading to edema, varicose veins, phlebitis, and claudication. Resultant clots can migrate to critical blood vessels in the brain and other areas potentially causing stroke, heart attacks and degeneration of the kidneys and other organs with critical microcirculation. This is not to mention fatigue, headaches, and even depression that can have an ultimate cause linked to body imbalance and organic malfunction beginning in the feet. Foot pain can lead to decreased exercise and with that increased susceptibility to unhealthy weight gain and a host of other mental, physical and physiological weaknesses.

http://www.wysong.net/images/insoles/healthy.jpg

The feet are much too important to simply bind, adorn and hide. The foot is designed to be our connection to Earth. The sensations received by the foot on the ground create body awareness not unlike the input received by the senses.

For athletes, the demands on the feet are greatly amplified. Many have their careers cut short by foot injury and degenerative foot diseases. The causes are many, but not the least of which is improper shoe and insole design. All athletes sooner or later have foot problems. Given a natural surface to play a sport on (like sand, if that were possible), and using conditioned bare feet, these problems would rarely occur.

Health should be the primary consideration in footwear, not a little cushioning here and there and a lot of fashion and style. A product that needs to primarily address function should not become simply an opportunity for marketing.

http://www.wysong.net/images/insoles/ball.jpg

How Feet Are Designed To Work

The proper position of the foot is up on the ball. Propulsion and landing should only incidentally (if at all) employ heel contact. The heel is to movement what the buttocks are to standing. You’re on your heels while standing but not moving, and on your buttocks if you’re sitting and not moving.

Unfortunately, the platformed box design of shoes encourages heel contact with motion, thus decreasing reaction time and speed and setting the stage for injury.

http://www.wysong.net/images/insoles/flat.jpg

The natural movement of the foot is a complex, resilient, flexing and rolling motion – not the two dimensional heel-foot thumping forced upon it by modern footwear. The natural foot roll employs the same principle used by a parachutist when landing. By folding and rolling the chance of injury is dramatically decreased. So too should the foot roll at each landing. That is, in fact, what it is anatomically designed to do. The motion I speak of is the natural rolling from light heel contact or no heel contact, to the lateral (outer) arch, to the ball, then to the toes.

http://www.wysong.net/images/insoles/roll.jpg

What are the toes supposed to do trapped in modern shoes? What can they do? They’re forced into a crunched together pointed shape dictated by improper shoe design (whose foot is shaped like a shoe?) and rendered basically useless. Toes should have room to spread out and be free to dig in and grip to help drive the body forward at the end of the foot roll.

If one compares the feel and function of the bare foot in sand to that within a modern shoe, it becomes apparent why problems arise. The solution is to return the foot to the sand. The design we have created allows the foot to experience the support and movement possible in sand and thus restore the foot to its living functional role in movement and health.

(see http://www.wysong.net/images/insole/print.jpg) If you walk barefoot in sand and look behind at the impression left, that is the contour created by this new insole. The feel of the foot in sand and on the insole is also strikingly (and refreshingly) similar.

Arch Support

In the sand, the foot is primarily supported by the arch, not the heel. Most shoes and insoles only hint at arch support. A proper ergonomic design lifts the foot with comfortable support of both the transverse and longitudinal arches. This takes pressure off the heel by properly distributing the weight over the largest surface area of the foot, the arch and ball. In a run, a heel strike concentrates 5,120 foot pounds of force directly to a point on the calcaneus (heel bone). With a well-designed insole, this force is spread over approximately 15 square inches of resilient ligamentous tissue under-girded by the long metatarsal bones in the arch and ball area.

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Diabetic foot -common mistakes made by diabetic patients which can cost them their own foot

Diabetic foot -common mistakes made by diabetic patients which can cost them their own foot(essentials that every diabetic patients should know to avoid diabetic foot infections)

Diabetic foot|Podiatry -common mistakes made by diabetic patients which can cost them their own foot(essentials that every diabetic patients should know to avoid diabetic foot infections)

Prevention is the first step towards solving diabetic foot problems. It was estimated that every 30s,Guest Posting a leg is lost to diabetes somewhere in the world. A more important fact is that 85% of all amputations in diabetes are preventable.

Hence educating normal diabetic patients about the common reasons why they end up in amputation would make them take steps to avoid it when they encounter similar predisposing factors for diabetic foot infections

Diabetes affects the foot due to diabetic foot neuropathy or peripheral vascular disease(poor blood flow to foot)

How does diabetic foot sensory neuropathy lead to infections?

It is loss of pain perception because of sensory neuropathy that catches many diabetic patients unaware of minor injuries(foreign bodies). The wound then gets infected. Hence, avoid walking barefoot since minor injuries are not noticed due to loss of pain percetion and walking with injury for several days, without any treatment leads to diabetic foot infections/amputations later.

How do shoes or footwear lead to diabetic foot problems?

Since the feet of diabetic patients swells in evening with neuropathy,a shoe that fits well in the morning may be too tight by end of day when feet swells,since perception of pain is lost in diabetic neuropathy patient continues to wear tight shoes for prolonged periods without comfort,end result would be blisters/infection at most compressed region by tight shoes

Those patients with loss of pain perception wear sandal with straps very tight for getting to know they are wearing footwear, these sometimes leads to compression for prolonged periods leading to blisters/infections

How does diabetic foot motor neuropathy lead to diabetic foot infections/amputations?

Motor neuropathy causes wasting of small muscles of foot leading to bony prominences and deformity formation like high arched foot,claw toes deformity etc,leading to high pressure at these localised bone deformity sites while walking .This lead to callus(hard skin) formation .In diabetic patients with sensory loss,if callus grows hard like stone they run the risk of developing an undetected wound underneath the callus.

How does callus lead to diabetic foot infections?

Callus has 11 fold increased risk of ulceration in diabetic patients with diabetic foot neuropathy,by using customized insole and outsole modifications according to individual needs can prevent further progression to ulceration

When does diabetic foot ulcer lead to infections?

Chronic diabetic foot ulcer/trophic ulcer not healing/not showing signs of improvement in wound size for more than 3 months has 15-20% chances of diabetic foot infection in their future.These are pressure ulcers that do not heal with routine dressing/antibiotics,these diabetic foot ulcers require footwear customization /podiatry surgeries if not resolving with footwear customization.Since 85% of amputations are preceded by poorly treated previous foot ulcer, best is to consult your foot doctor/podiatrist

How does diabetic autonomic neuropathy leads to diabetic foot infections?

Autonomic neuropathy leads to decreased functioning of sweat glands, in turn leading to loss of sweating and dry skin

Dry skin precipitates cracks/deep fissures with hard edges in sensory loss patients can lead to skin breakage and diabetic foot infections most commonly in heels,application of moisturizing cream /lotion can solve this problem

Dry skin precipitates itching sensation scratching too much can lead to skin breakage because of loss of pain perception diabetics will scratch till skin is breaking and sometimes cellulitis infections can occur when immunity level is low after long years of diabetes,application of moisturizing cream /lotion can solve this problem

Some patients complain of itching and persisting cracks even after applying moisturizing creams, why so?

It suggests that skin is becoming dry very often in these patients.Applying once a day will not solve the problem,They must increase the frequency of application to three to four times a day

Which foot swelling should be immediately treated?

Any abnormal unilateral foot swelling should raise suspicion of either charcot foot/quiecent bone infection/cellulitis foot,

Any unilateral foot swelling with redness in skin ,increased warmth over swelling,pain over swelling,skin discoloration over swelling should be consulted with your foot doctor for emergency treatment

How can self treatment in diabetic neuropathic pain land up in diabetic foot infections?

Patients with neuropathic pain try to do vigorous massage with ayurvedic oils/linments till skin blister formation because of loss of pain perception in sensory neuropathy

Other modality patient adopts in neuropathic pain is hot water massaging with sensory loss, patients do not know how much heat should be applied so they continue to keep very hot water for prolonged periods at pain areas leading to blister and diabetic foot infections

What causes interdigital fungal infection ?

Crowdy toes or tight shoes that keep toes tight retain moisture for prolonged periods and cause fungal infection,which could be avoided by using shoes with wide toe box/using toe separator to keep toes separated to prevent moisture retaining in between toes

Self surgery what can happen?

Patients with poor vision cutting nails too deep beneath crease line can lead to skin breakage and in patients with poor blood flow to foot can lead to major amputation.Proper nail cutting techniques should be learnt,toe nails should be cut straight,not beneath creaseline.

Patients with callus try to remove it with blades by themselves sometimes leading to skin cuts in adjacent areas and diabetic foot infections later.Always approach a foot doctor for callus trimming in diabetes

Are previous amputees at risk of future diabetic foot ulceration/infection?

Yes,biomechanics is altered in previous amputees so pressure points increase at other areas leading to callus/diabetic foot ulcer later diabetic foot infections,these could be avoided by proper customized footwear or proper surgical principle applied during time of amputation to prevent future pressure points.These are done by specialist diabetic foot surgeons.

Can we use oils instead of moisturing cream in foot and leg?

Sometimes due to fragnance of oil insects/ants are attracted,so there is a possibility of insect bite injury which again precipitates itching and scratching, finally skin breakage and sometimes diabetic foot infection

How does ingrown nail form and when can it lead to diabetic foot infection?

Because of improper nail cutting techniques like cutting nails at corners allows nail to grow deep inwards when it regrows,when ingrown nail is pressing skin for prolonged periods can compromise blood flow to adjacent skin leading to diabetic foot infection,these things could be avoided by learning proper nail cutting techniques

Diabetic patients may notice new small cuts in foot/toes when they wake up from bed, What could be the reason?

Rat bite injury is common during night because it crawls in night and bite and since pain perception is lost in diabetic neuropathy patients does not move to rat bite which makes the rat to do the same on repeated nights present with newer cuts day by day

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