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These High heel shoe inserts really work - here is how

Killer Heels Comfort shoe inserts really work - here's why

High heel shoe pain can be stopped from developing for up to four hours for some wearers even if they are prone to high heel shoe pain - or for a  shorter time depending on indivual feet sensitivity. About 70% of high heel wearers will feel some pain after about a half hour of wear if they do not take any precaustions such as using shoe inserts that both cushion the feet and stop forward slide of their feet or take sit down breaks every 15 minutes.  Apparently about 30 % of high heel wearers never feel pain from their high heels - lucky!    

High heel shoes put feet into an abnormal position. This position increases the pressure on the balls of the feet, plus pushes the foot forward crushing the toes and creating gaps at the heel end of shoes. The steeper the slope of the insole inside a high heel shoe the more abnormal and potentially painful it is for the foot. The slope is the hypotenuse side of a triangle that is made up of the insole (the hypotenuse side) , the heel of the shoe (the vertical measure) and the distance from the ball of the foot to the heel (the horizontal measure).

It is the steepness of the slope of the insole that changes with the height of the heel when foot length varies. This is why women with small feet will have a much steeper slope than women with large feet. The steepness of the slope is a function of Horizontal to Vertical Slope Ratio. The horizontal measure is the distance from the centre of the ball of the foot to the tip of the heel, and the vertical measure is the height of the heel. A size 9 woman's foot has a horizontal measure of about 8 inches. Therefore a woman with a size 9 foot wearing a 3 inch high heels has a horizontal to vertical ratio of 8:3 (2.6:1) resulting in an insole  slope of about 24 degrees in 3 inch heels. If the same woman changes into 2 inch kitten heels she will notice the differenc with an insole slope of only 14 degrees.   

More examples. If a high heel is 4 inches and the distance from the ball of the foot to the heel is 6 inches the slope of the insole will be about 34 degrees. But if a high heel is 4 inches and the distance from the ball of the foot to the heel is 12 inches -a very long foot - the slope of the insole will be much less, about 18 degrees. A  4 inch high heel for an average woman's size 9 foot (where the distance from the ball of the foot to the heel is 8 inches) will result in an insole slope of about  27 degrees. If the same woman with a size 9 foot wears a 2 inch kitten high heel the slope of the insole will be about 14 degrees. 

It is easy to understand how a lower heel will feel more comfortable for longer for an average woman who wears high heels.   

Three major sources of foot pain of shoes can be stopped:

These shoe inserts work to provide comfort in high heels and in flats because foot pain that is coming from footwear in three different ways can be stopped.   

Firstly, foot pain during walking and standing can be caused by concentrated pressure on the ball of the foot which causes pain mainly to the underside of the forefoot.   

A second source of pain can be caused by the motion of walking which slides the foot forward at each step - even in flats, and much more in high heels - which crushes the forefoot and toes into the front of the shoe. In high heels the forward slide of the foot and crushing of the toes and forefoot is greatly increased due to the impact of gravity because the foot is on an incline that can be up to 45 degrees. 

A third major source of foot pain is from a shoe fitting poorly causing heels blisters or chafing due to the foot shifting forwards or slipping sideways inside the shoe. An unstable poorly fitting high heel shoe can also cause ankle pain or sore leg muscles due to the effort it takes to walk in poorly fitting shoes. Extreme ankle pain of a broken ankle can result from the foot falling off sideways from a high heeled sandal.

To ensure that the inserts work effectively as designed to stop foot pain they are permanently bonded to a footwear’s insole with pressure sensitive adhesive tape with woven cotton backing. The adhesive prevents shifting and bunching and the cotton backing prevents tearing.  Under normal wear the inserts will never tear, shift or bunch after they are properly installed inside footwear with clean insoles made out of smooth leather or vinyl.   The skived PORON foam inserts have a naturally grippy surface to prevent slipping. The silk covered PORON foam inserts are made from georgette weave silk which is woven to have a nubbly non slippery surface.  

   

How the inserts relieve ball of foot pain from pressure:

The forefoot balls of foot inserts are made from soft polyurethane PORON foam. They are soft, never damp and never slippery underfoot – even on bare feet. When stepped on the cushy foam compresses from 6 millimeters (1/4”) to 1.5 millimeters to cushion the step-down, and when the foot is raised the PORON foam immediately rebounds ready for the next cushy step. Each footstep lands on a fresh never flattened cushion – for thousands of steps in shoes worn every day to work or runners jogged in every morning. In dress shoes that are worn sporadically the inserts will most likely outlast the style of the shoes!  The inserts are custom fitted by the wearer themselves following the instructions provided, which ensures that the thickest part of the forefoot insert cushion is centered directly under the middle of the ball of your foot, making them both maximally effective and maximally space saving.

Ball of foot pain from pressure is relieved in high heels from the actions of both the forefoot ball of foot cushion and a special second front of heel cushion that keeps the heel of the foot in place inside the heel end of the shoe. Because the heel of the foot stays put at the heel end of the shoe much of the wearer’s weight - and the pressure it creates - is kept over the heel of the shoe and off the ball of the foot.            

 How the inserts relieve pain due to crushing of toes and forefoot:

The polyurethane PORON foam of the inserts is both soft underfoot yet very strong in holding back the foot from sliding forward.  In any shoes or boots – with or without high heels – the action of walking is constantly pushing the foot forwards inside the footwear. The forward’s push is exacerbated in high heels by gravity, and the higher the heel the more forward slide of the foot is experienced.  The inserts stop the forward slide of the foot in two important ways. The most significant of these is mechanically with foot stops. The raised toe grip at the front end of the forefoot shoe insert physically stops the foot from sliding forwards inside the shoe. This stops the fore foot and toes from being pushed and crushed into the toe end of the footwear. Killer Heels Comfort shoe inserts for high heels have a second foam piece that fits in front of the heel of the foot to keep the heel of the foot inside the heel end of the shoe. This prevents crushing of the toes and forefoot because the foot does not slide forwards into the toe box of the footwear.

The pain from being crushed is due to the toes being bent as they push up against the relatively hard front end of the shoe or boot in closed footwear or being pushed into the straps or peep toe opening in open toe footwear.  Pain to the foot also results from the forefoot being crushed by the sides of the footwear, especially in pointy toe boots or shoes.  This felt pain is due to the crushing of the nerves in the forefoot.  If the nerves are crushed for a long time, they may be permanently damaged resulting in numbness or chronic foot pain.

 How the inserts prevent pain from heel blisters, chafing or prevent a broken ankle:

The polyurethane PORON foam forefoot cushions or the set of forefoot cushions / front of heel cushions for high heeled footwear are effective in preventing heel blisters and chafing of the feet from footwear. The inserts relieve pain from blisters and chafing because they stabilize the foot inside footwear.  The stabilizing of the foot prevents the foot from moving side to side or from sliding forward. If the foot is stabilized it is not moving out of the heel area of the footwear or moving up and down inside the shoe rubbing against the material of the shoe.  This prevents painful heel blisters from forming. The movement of the foot into the front of the footwear and rubbing against the inside of the footwear can cause chafing of the skin of the foot and toes. When the foot is stabilized in the footwear and prevented from moving either forwards or from side to side in footwear blisters and chafing can be prevented. However, if the chafing and blisters are being caused by rough edges or projections inside the footwear then these sources of pain should be removed.

While stabilizing the foot inside footwear goes a long way towards preventing pain from heel blisters and chafing, stabilizing the foot has another significant benefit, particularly for high heel wearers and long-distance runners. The benefit for high heel wearers is that a stable high heel shoe or boot is much easier to walk in because it does not wobble unpredictably, and it stays on the foot even while walking on rough ground. Walking is also less tiring because you don’t have to work the muscles of the feet to maintain your balance or keep your footwear on your feet or your feet inside the footwear!   Stabilizing the foot is especially critical in wearing strappy high heeled sandals. The inserts could prevent a broken ankle. The front of heel foam piece in the set of shoe inserts for high heeled footwear helps to stabilize feet plus prevents the heel of the foot from slipping sideways off the heel of open heeled footwear such as sandals.  The toe grip of the forefoot foam piece stabilizes the forefoot and by stopping it from sliding forward also helps to keep the heel of the foot in place.      

Stabilizing the foot for long-distance runners or for wearers of sports shoes is important for the enjoyment of the activity. Preventing the tiny bit of forward movement of the foot at every step in long-distance running may stop a condition known as ‘runners’ toe’ or ‘black toe’.  If shoe inserts such as Killer Heels Comfort ball of foot cushions can stabilize the foot in runners and stop forward movement of the foot, then laces do not have to be tied uncomfortably tight either making running more pleasant.  In sports shoes worn for sports with a lot of vigorous foot movement such as tennis stabilizing the foot from forwards movement and side to side movement makes the footwear stable and the sport more enjoyable. Comfortable feet will result in more enjoyable play and maybe more winning too!

Although the inserts are not sold as a medical device, they may be effective in relieving conditions such as pain from bunions or fasciitis. Bunion pain may be relieved because the foam shoe inserts stop the feet from sliding forward and pressing against the sides of the footwear exacerbating the pain of bunions.  Fasciitis sufferers may experience relief from pain in the arch of the foot because the foam inserts inside footwear will allow the sufferer to more comfortably wear slightly higher heeled footwear such as 1” or 2” heels which allows the arch of the foot to relax and heal naturally because it is not being continuously stretched.  

 

 

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