Cracked footwear???

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21 yr old female has had 3 pairs of Clarkes lace up footwear, only to have them crack through the metatarsal area of both shoes. Clarkes replaced the first pair but it keeps happening.

The client has inverted orthotics for a separate problem, of which is now resolved. Despite having orthotics her footwear is continuing to crack.

Has anyone else seen this, wnhy does it happen & what can be done to prevent it?

 

Hi Tan

Does it only happen in the Clarkes and are they the same shoes every time ?

If it doesn´t happen in other shoes then try a different brand may just be bad luck with that specific Clarke shoe.

 

Hi
I read your post, a patient failed to attend so i had a look.I found a paper "effect of inverted orthoses on lower-extremity mechanics in runners " by D.williams.I Davies ,S Baitch.MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS & EXERCISE 2003 ,.Which states" "During the inverted orthoses condition , there was an eversion moment late in stance that was absent in the no orthoses and standard orthoses condition " . Maybe that would account for the cracking across the metatarsals ?
Tim

 

In my experience of being a provider of orthopaedic footwear which more recently are being manufactured with the same type of polyurethane(PU) units as are found on high street shoes, there seem to be some people who absolutely destroy PU.

In population, I would guess that n=30 of these people with whom I have reverted back to standard EVA soles. The most recent case was a chap who wore no orthoses, he had the footwear to accommodate a hammer toe. I also would struggle to give any link between wearing anti pronation orthoses and cracking of PU sole units, but my population may not be representative.

If I were to hazard a guess, it is most likely external factors although again the case I desribed above seemed to have nothing of note on that front. Change make to another manufacturer that uses PU soles(most these days) and see if the problem recurrs.

Just re read this and it's not really that helpful is it?

Robin

 

Hi Tan86,

Have seen the occasional problem, with orthoses that wreck shoes, check if the distal border of the orthoses is too long and is sitting under the MPJs rather than just proximal to the MPJs.

Billquiet

 

What does you client do for a job?

If she works in the fast food industry where oils get on the floor this can cause the PU to break down as the plasticizers are drawn out of the the material by the oils, as it was explained to me years ago by a chemist.

Similar issues a rise from Chlorine, used for cleaning floors, working around swimming pools and chicken manure can have a bad effect, but the biggest issue facing PU is time in the box.

If the shoes have been on the shelf/cupboard for 18months to two years(old stock or extra purchased on sale) the PU sole will crumble soon after wearing.

Bottom line, faulty product gets returned, work environment as explained above, buy a shoe that states on the sole "Oil and acid resistance"

Soles should not crack no matter what the orthosis is like, it should have destroyed the insole first

 

:good:

 

The client works in fashion retail. The shoes were cracking prior to having orthotics so I don't think they are the cause.
Thanks for the posts

 

Then the product should be returned.

Dont buy the same product again, if you got three in a row that are faulty in the same way, then the rest will most likely be faulty also, unless the store can tell you they returned the faulty delivery to the manufacture.