Solving Problem with High Heels

[JoAnnDallas]

A local TV station had an article on a product that helps women who wear high heels. Thought I'd pass it along.

[url=http://www.myfoxdfw%20.com/myfox/%20pages/Home/%20Detail;jsessioni%20d=E6DFF2BAB9F04B%2002EB4E38D6A2F5EA%20E9?contentId=%203747997&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1]Deal or Dud - Insolia Inserts[/url]

[Lydia]

Some spurious spaces in your link. Here it is corrected:

Deal or Dud: Insolia Shoe Inserts

Hugs,

Lydia

[Carol Ann]

Ok here is my take, first the photo shows a sandal with sling backs, I see no insert. Now if they help or not do they show when you are wearing them.?. Seems to me it would take away from the sex appeal of the shoe. Oh and I did see a spot on TV about them.

[Jamie Ann]

Ok here is my take, first the photo shows a sandal with sling backs, I see no insert. Now if they help or not do they show when you are wearing them.?. Seems to me it would take away from the sex appeal of the shoe. Oh and I did see a spot on TV about them.

The Insolia: Science Meets Sexy ( <-- link ) home page has the same problems. It shows some stiletto sandals with no inserts, and it shows the inserts separately below. Clearly, the inserts would be visible, detracting from the "sexy" aspect. Also, unless they significantly altered the angle of the foot—say, by providing a thick pad under the balls of the feet, to reduce the slope—they would not change the weight distribution between heel and forefoot. Extra padding might help a little to increase comfort, but the advertising claims that extra padding is not what produces the claimed effect. I must confess to being skeptical!

[DonnaT]

Well, the inserts are clear, and apparently not visable when wearing the shoe.

I've been looking for some locally for some time now, since CVS pharmacies carry them, but not the ones close to my office apparently.

http://www.insolia.com

[Tekla]

wear flats. First most of us don't need to look any taller. second, they are comfy.

[DonnaT]

wear flats.

Blasphemy!

[Jamie Ann]

wear flats. First most of us don't need to look any taller. second, they are comfy.

I certainly agree with that! If one’s goal is comfort and long-term foot health, something other than 5½" strappy sandals might be recommended!

In the photo above, the inserts are being used essentially as heel-lifts, which would shift your weight even more toward the ball of your foot. The part of the insert that extends forward a couple of inches (see the black shoe in the photo) appears to do the exact opposite of providing arch support.

There exist other insoles designed specifically to increase comfort (e.g., some of Dr. Scholl’s® products). They are based on the straightforward idea of providing arch support and greater shock absorption.

[Virginia]

Amen, Donna!!!

The online CVS cost for the inserts for a pair is $9.99. I too am a bit skeptical, but then again I don't wear 5", maybe 4", and most of "us," due to our genetic make-up would tend to have aahhhh! (larger ankles??, thus perhaps a bit stronger ankles) and would have less problem with heels than our gg sisterhood.

As for what the product does, I don't think it is an arch support, it seems to put the pressure back on the heel somehow. Heck, it's worth $10.00 just to try it although I don't have a problem with my high heels. Will report how they do in the near future.

Virginia

[SilverLady(SO)]

with Donna and Virginia!

I just love wearing high heels, but 4.5" platform heels are the highest I have, which means the actual heel is only 3.75" to 4" high.

The only 'flats' you'll ever see me wearing are 'tennis' shoes, keds, sandals, or flip-flops . . . barring those types of shoes, I personally despise 'flats' or any shoe with less than a 3" heel and won't buy them.

I'm worth the $10.00 to try the Insolia shoe inserts, and if I can find them at our local CVS stores, I will try them with my highest heels . . . and I'll report my opinions here.

- SL

[Jamie Ann]

with Donna and Virginia!

I just love wearing high heels, but 4.5" platform heels are the highest I have, which means the actual heel is only 3.75" to 4" high.

...

I'm worth the $10.00 to try the Insolia shoe inserts, and if I can find them at our local CVS stores, I will try them with my highest heels . . . and I'll report my opinions here.

- SL

Revised Assessment:

My problem was not with high heels, per se, which I sometimes wear. It was with the goofy explanation suggesting that a heel-lift would somehow shift pressure from the forefoot to the heel, which any student of high school physics would know to be wrong.

There was an interesting article on podiatrist Howard Dananberg ( <— link ), the inventor of the product, which appeared in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology “inventor of the week” series. Evidently, Dananberg did research that included measuring the pressure exerted by a woman’s foot on various parts of a high-heel shoe. He found that most of the pressure was on the forefoot (as you would expect), some of it was on the heel, and almost none of it was on the mid-foot. Even the MIT piece uses some misleading language, but Dananberg’s focus in designing his insert was on increasing the contact area throughout the sole, most notably in the mid-foot area, which would reduce pressure in the forefoot area, since total pressure remains the same (i.e., the woman’s weight).

After reading more about this insert and getting a more cogent explanation of how it is supposed to work, I think that it probably is worth a try. As Donna, Virginia, and SL noted, there is little to lose and potentially something to gain, given that Insolia apparently is available in pharmacies for about $10. I look forward to reading first-hand reports on this forum!

[Absaroka]

Tekla I feel the same way. High heels are a conspiracy to enrich foot doctors.

Absaroka