Comfort Shoe Specialist

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Prevent Falls with Proper Footwear

My cousin Collie Marshall Roland asked me to watch his Dad, #1 Norton Roland, walk at our family reunion on Memorial Day. He had a hip surgery because he fell out of bed…he should be falling into bed…DUH!

Anyway, it was obvious that his post surgical left side resulted in a leg length discrepancy and should be lengthened. I searched for a Certified Pedorthist in their area to refer him to without success…what’s with that, Oklahoma?

SOOO…they came to St. Louis and we discovered that he needs a lift of 3/4 inch! We were able to fit him with work boots that look great with his overalls…yippee!

Shoe tech Joe did a split sole lift of 3/8″ heel, 1/4″ ball, 0″ toe that came out great!

Lynn, our orthotics tech, made custom orthotics to improve his balance and stability. VOILA! Fall Prevention saves our loved ones since falls are responsible for many deaths.

Also got to fit cousin Becky Sue Fowler who has pes cavus (HIGH ARCHES) in new work shoes: Aravon Maya is great for professional women who are on their feet…cute & comfy!

Collie Marshall got Gorilla Grips as a secret weapon for the golf course (hit farther & straighter), Copper Golf socks & Terox Flip flops.

We all had so much fun!

We are honored to give, love, and serve all who come and it is especially gratifying to help our loved ones!

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What Leg Length Discrepancy?

We are experts at shoe lifts…we like them NOT to be noticed.  Our clients like that, too.  This Nike belongs to a 22-year-old male…cool shoes with red soles.  We modified the right by splitting the sole, adding 1/2″ at the heel, 1/4″ at the ball, and tapering to 0″ at the toe.  We call it a “balanced lift” because it walks so well.  Customers report that they feel fantastic and look fantastic, too.  We’re glad to help out…subtlety is an art unto itself.

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Advanced Posting Orthotics for Flat Feet

Solutions for the flattest feet…and works on milder flat feet also…Advanced Posting Orthotics bring the heel bone (Calcaneus) in alignment under the leg bones (Tibia and Fibula). Arch strain is relieved and impingement pain (under outside ankle bone) disappears. Strain on midfoot joints, ligaments, posterior tibialis tendons is relieved since the joints are supported in best possible positions. Essentially, surgery is performed on the casts of the feet so correction is effective and SAFE then the orthotics are made over improved foot alignment so function is optimized. You get taller.

If you can see more than 2 toes looking at someone from the rear, forefoot abduction is occurring which causes painful feet from heels to ankles to knees. Especially check out children who can benefit from early intervention: as the twig is bent, the branch shall grow.

What else happens? Leg length discrepancies can disappear. Flat feet can cause up to 1/2″ leg length discrepancy!

Knee pain lessens or disappears. Back pain improves. Heel pain is resolved (chronic heel pain patients are amazed).

World peace is achieved. OK, maybe not world peace, but personal body peace and salvation begins!

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Wedding Shoe Rescue

While the bride did wear pumps for the ceremony, she wanted to dance all night with shoes on (a great idea since being barefoot is…well, informal and/or whatever). She loved the feel of these shoes but the gray petals just didn’t work for her…and understandably so! These fit her perfectly so RESCUE them: we removed the gray petals and replaced them with white ones plus added a couple more since the bride has WIDE feet (the shoe on right has all-white petals). The Ziera insoles are really good but not enough for these flexible, flat feet. RESCUE: we added long arch support, forefoot varus, and medial heel wedging that keep Kate smiling and her feet and knees delighted.

She hugged me and said, “Thank you for teaching me to appreciate and take care of my feet!” It doesn’t get much better than that for this pedorthist! Happy Honeymoon!

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Swollen? We can accommodate that!

Patient presented with severe edema who wants stylish shoes…we all need those!  We want to feel good when dressed up, even if we have conditions causing swelling, sometimes extreme swelling.

Ziera Dizzy extra, extra wide fit length and width but needed straps lengthened:

1.  Original length.  

2. Extended front strap 3+ inches plus added decorative leaves to enhance             appearance. 

3. Change back strap from press closure to O-ring closure to hold securely.

4. Finished with front and back straps customized for perfect fit!

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Alegria Non-Slip Oxfords feel great!

Health care and restaurant workers benefit from Alegria comfort shoes and clogs.  NEW!  Tie black shoes are a bull’s eye for practicality and function…in NON-SLIP professional model.  The contoured foot-beds provide support for your arches (each foot has four!).  If you have wide, thick feet, we carry optional thinner foot-beds when more room is needed.  Ahhhh…

Life is good when our feet feel good!

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Fancy Pumps Made Comfortable…oh, yeah!

Arthritis doesn’t keep this stylish woman from accompanying her family in high fashion shoes.  She just brings them to us to add cushioning to the balls of the feet with bouncy soling 1/4 inch thick with feminine woven, slip resistant pattern.  Then we pull up the lining and add long arch and metatarsal arch supports.  VOILA!  She can dance and keep her shoes on all night!

These are high fashion satin shoes for a black tie event that she is delighted with…also stretched the bunion areas!

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Cute Shoe Rescue: Camuto Made Super Comfortable!

High Fashion can be made comfortable with our Cute Shoe Rescue!

Upper: Original shoes showing thin leather soles outside and flat insoles with no support inside.

LOWER LEVEL    Arrows pointing inside:  Longitudinal and metatarsal arches added to reduce pressure at balls of feet.  Solutions help metatarsalgia (pain at balls of feet) plus arch strain and heel pain (plantar fascitiis).

Arrows pointing to bottoms of fronts:  cushioned layer of slip resistant soling provides more protection for balls of feet plus lowers heel height for more comfort and better balance.  Better not only for feet, but knees, hips, and backs.

You have cute shoes that hurt?  Bring them in for Cute Shoe Rescue solutions!

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Custom Made Therapeutic Footwear for Club Foot

66 year old male born with LEFT club foot had multiple surgeries before age 25 and the foot’s shape was greatly improved according to his report. LEFT foot has deformities  still on the lateral side at cuboid and 5th metatarsal head (ball of foot behind baby toe).  He endured painful calluses for years before using pedorthics to provide relief:  contoured footbeds to reduce pressure with mismated shoes since feet are differently sized.

He has used custom made footwear since 1998.  High top shoes and sandals provide stability.  He now uses an AFO on LEFT so we made his boot to house AFO or he can use custom trilaminate orthoses on inactive days…he is still quite active, living by a lake so he needs STABILITY on sloping, uneven terrain.

He likes wearing sandals as his recovery footwear and we have made several pairs for him:  support with toes free!  Again, high tops provide more stability and REDUCES FALLS.  All of our custom made footwear is done with high tops unless there is a significant reason not to because fit is so much better!

According to Josh White, DPM, and other experts, fall prevention is not hard to accomplish:  contoured footbeds with ankles supported.  Falls occur mostly around homes in worn slippers or stocking feet.  Contoured footbeds in sandals or slippers should be worn around homes.  If balance is compromised, wear high tops with contoured footbeds as much as possible.  At Comfort Shoe Specialists, we are trained in Fall Prevention.