If the shoe fits...

According to Leonardo da Vinci: “The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.''

With 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons, our feet carry the weight of our body and yet we abuse them on a regular basis.

Right fits

Foot Solutions, a wellness company specialising in comfort shoes, customised footwear and tailored arch support, has opened its first store in the Middle East at Dubai's Oasis Centre.

“Most people continue to wear the same-sized shoes for years, even though their feet change. Almost 80-90 per cent of people are walking around with improperly fitted shoes,'' said Ray Margiano, CEO of Foot Solutions.

The company, founded in the US eight years ago and which now has about 300 locations worldwide, uses state-of the-art technology in foot mapping and pressure and arch analysis to cater to a customer's footcare needs.

The store carries a variety of styles of shoes, ranging from walking, running, casual and dress shoes to custom-made shoes for men, women and children.

To not sacrifice style for comfort, Foot Solutions's shoes are from Italian, French, New Zealander and Dutch designers.

“The idea is to wear comfortable footwear while looking good,'' said Amal Tarabey, Foot Solutions director, Middle East and North Africa, and certified pedorthist. But because they're medicated shoes, they have a thicker sole than regular shoes.

I was welcomed by store manager Devesh Shivani, who described to me the steps customers go through to get custom-made shoes or orthotic inserts.

First, professionals measure the customer's feet in three ways — from heel to toe, heel to bowl and width.

“We palpate the feet to check for pains and know if they're flexible or rigid, so we can determine the appropriate design and accommodative arch support unique to each foot shape,'' Shivani said.

After characterising my feet as medium-arched and flexible, Shivani asked me to go on a pressure-analysis machine, which showed that most of my weight is on my heels.

The machine recommends a certain type of orthotics, or insoles, depending on whether they're for dress, walking, athletic or casual shoes.

Because the insoles are custom-made, they don't fit in regular shoes. So customers need to buy shoes that are specially built with extra depth for insoles.

The custom-made insoles, manufactured in Germany, cost on average Dh850 and come in suede, foam and leather. Custom-made shoes are all leather and made in Portugal.

Balancing act

The next step is the balance test. I stood barefoot with my hands clasped behind me. Shivani pushed down on my hands to check my resistance.

I couldn't keep my feet flat on the ground and found myself tipping backwards. Then I stood on two arch supports and the manager repeated the test. This time I didn't move at all.

“We're not meant to walk on concrete, so we try to support your feet and improve your walking,'' Tarabey said.

The results are sent to a laboratory in the US for insoles, where they are ready in two weeks. It takes a month to get custom-made shoes back from Portugal.

Comfort shoes at the store cost between Dh225 (for children) and Dh1,600. Custom-made shoes are costlier and range from Dh1,700 to Dh2,600.

Foot Solutions is open weekdays from 10am-10pm and weekends from 10am-noon. For details, visit www.footsolutions.com

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