Author: Tracey McAlpine Category: Health, Back Pain, Men's Health, Women's Health
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By correcting your gait with Vionic Shoes you could avoid leg and back pain

Is there a woman who doesn’t love shoes? 

My love hate relationship started at thirteen with my first pair of platform shoes.  Of course I didn’t need them for height, at 5′.10″ I already towered above most people.  They were typical 1970s fashion and insanely uncomfortable.  And there started a trend that I followed until I stopped working in my twenties when I swapped stilettoes for flats.  So you would imagine that after nearly thirty years of sensible shoes I would have lovely feet.  But alas I wasn’t blessed with pretty pods, ‘plates of meat’ (cockney rhyming slang) better describes them and I swear their unattractiveness is hereditary, rather than any fault of my own. 

Feet change with age

Just like everything else in the body, feet age.  They become larger, flatter, wider and longer and with less padding.  The arch becomes lower which can contribute to bunions, and osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis can affect joints and bones in the feet, making them more prone to stress fractures.  Having broken my ankle last year I know just how easily this can happen.  When your feet change structure it can affect balance and gait, increasing your risk of falls.

So, it’s important to make sure that you are wearing the correct sized shoes and shoes that will aid walking rather than hinder it.  How many of us haven’t had our feet measured since we had them x-rayed as a child?  It might be time to rethink your shoe size. 

You can imagine with ageing feet and a recent broken ankle, how pleased I was to learn that Vionic Shoes were going to be sold in the UK.  Vionic are one of the world’s most respected makers of orthotics and orthotic shoes.  Using FMT Technology, Vionic Shoes help to reduce over-pronation, which can help relieve pain associated with foot, leg and back conditions.

vionic shoes correct over pronation

Vionic founder Philip Vasyli

This innovative technology was designed by podiatrist Philip Vasyli, who after thirty years of studying and treating patients feet, knew that if shoes could realign our bodies, heel, knee, shin and back pain could be reduced if not eradicated.   But of course Philip also knew that women being women, they would want desirable looking shoes.  So, Vionic Shoes are attractive as well as being functional.

what's in Vionic Shoes?

I was incredibly lucky to meet Philip Vasyli before his recent death.  He was a charismatic man and although I only met him the once, that memory will stay with me forever.  He explained to me that we no longer make contact with the ground in the way we did years ago when we walked barefoot.  With hard surfaces and fashionable shoes we are unbalanced.   What Vionic Shoes do, is create the perfect footbed and recreate that sensation of making a foot print when we walk as our ancestors did.

Would Vionic Shoes work for me?

Intrigued to know whether Vionic Shoes would make a difference to me, I was kindly given a pair of Selena Toe Post Sandals, as seen above.  I was advised to only wear them for a short time each day to get my body used to them.  The change in posture takes a little time for the body to readjust.  As the weather at the time wasn’t wonderful I wore them in the house for just a few hours to start off with and gradually built this up.  The first couple of times I wore them I had a very slightly feeling in my calf’s, not painful, more an awareness, as if they had been worked.  This wore off the more I wore the sandals. 

At much the same time as I was trialling the sandals I started Muscle Activation Therapy with Paul Argent to make sure that all the muscles in the leg with the damaged ankle were working.  After the first session I had back ache, something I haven’t had for quite a number of years.  Once I was home I slipped on the Selena sandals and within a short time the back ache was gone. Of course this might have been a coincidence but when I’m wearing the sandals everything feels so much better, I walk taller, straighter and more comfortably.

Back up and running!

As I hadn’t run since the ankle break in September I was keen to get back out and pound the pavements.  I went off to Runners Need to buy new running shoes as I didn’t want to run in old shoes.  I also wanted gait analysis to see if in fact my gait had changed since wearing the sandals.  Previously I was recommended shoes for over pronation, but this time the video recording showed a completely neutral gait. 

I feel confident that the Vionic sandals have made a significant difference to the way in which I am walking.  Since starting to run again I haven’t had any discomfort or pain which is probably a combination of continued use of the sandals and the treatment I have been having with Paul.

Vionic Shoes are the perfect combination of function and fashion and well worth checking out if you are suffering from pain either from your legs or back.  The range is now available in the UK and can be purchased directly from the Vionic website, from QVC and from good shoe specialists throughout the country.

Vionic Shoes are available for men and women prices from £40.00

Related articles:

Vionic Orthotic Shoes Reader Reviews

Vionic Shoes Autumn/Winter Collection Review

Have you discovered the Vionic secret?