17 Shoe Design Principles for People with Internal Chronic Foot Pain
Channel: Orthopedic Shoe Making
Date: 2019-05-01

The condition where the foot hurts whether wearing a shoe or not. It is often associated with osteoarthritis in the big toe or ankle joint. The pain is not caused by the shoe, however you can make a shoe that relieves that pain by making it so that the joint does not have to bend.

Bill Bird explains how you can make a shoe or boot that is very stiff but facilitates the gait cycle. 
• Creating a radius from the ankle pivot point for the heel base of the shoe
• Creating a wheel segment from the radius of the hip for the central shoe sole
• Creating a radius from the ankle pivot point to the tip of the toe which allows the toe to roll off

This principle is often used for osteoarthritis but it has also been used for a prosthetic foot and for a fused ankle.

For customers that require total rigidity in the sole carbon fiber is used.