Comfort Sandals

Men’s Sandals and Women’s Sandals

For early civilizations,the most common and often times only footwear to be worn were soft shoes or sandals.  Both Men and Women living in or around the mountain regions of Mesopotamia (c. 1600-1200) wore a type of soft shoes.  The soft shoe or sandals were made of wraparound leather similar to what we now call a moccasin.  Another interesting fact is that most sandals were made straight without distinction between men and women.‘

Up until a gentlemen named Jan Ernst Matseliger invented invented a shoe lasting machine, all sandals and shoes had to be hand made.  This manual process necessitated the use of soft leather to be able to form the shoe or sandal into the shape of a foot.  The machine, invented roughly around 1870, created a way to to attach the sole to the shoe or sandal in less than one minute.  The shoe machine adjusted the shoe leather upper body snugly over the mold, arranged the leather beneath the sole, and nailed it in place with the sole stitched to the leather upper.

Foot Care

Insoles

So what are insoles? An insole is the inside part of the shoe that your foot rest on.  Most Insoles are designed to be easily removed for easy cleaning or repair.  Often times, people engaged in sports, hiking, walking, running, or having a need to solve discomfort or pain will routinely replace the insole depending upon their activity and condition.  Insoles designed for foot care can easily be purchsed seperately and replace the manufacturer’s insole.

Insoles are also known as a footbed, and inner sole, or possibly spelled “innersole.  Either way, properly sizing and matching your new insole to your activity and condition can drastically change your degree of comfort and longevity.

Foot and Arch Supports

An Arch Support is a product or device, manufactured from various materials, that is molded or designed to be placed on the footbed of a shoe or sandal. The arch support provides support for the arch of the foot.  Although insoles can and often do have an arch support built in, a true arch support is designed specifically for foot arch conditions and activities.

Arch supports can be made from a wide variety of materials including plastic, foam, and other surface materials.  These materials are used for arch supports to mold the design around the size particular size or need of the users foot arch.

Arch supports were originally designed for exclusive use for shoes,  However, now most sandal and flip-flop manufacturers are producing their shoes, sandals, and flip-flops with built-in arch supports.

Orthotics

Orthotics is a known as a specialty or division within the medical field concerned with the design, manufacture and application of orthoses. An orthosis or orthotic is an orthopedic device that supports or corrects the function of a limb or the torso.

Foot Orthotics

Orthotics—comprises a particular fitted insert for the insole, innersole, or footbed, and provides support for the foot only—are often used to aid in the comfort of feet conditions and especially by athletes.

Foot Orthosis

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are braces, supports, or outer flexible splints (normally plastic), encompassing the ankle joint and all (or part) of the foot. AFOs are designed for external use and used to control position and motion of the ankle relative to the foot, compensate for weakness, or correct ankle and/or foot deformities. AFO’s normally directly control the ankle, but can be designed to indirectly control the knee joint as well. They can also be used to help immobilize the ankle and lower leg in cases of arthritis or fracture.