AAWP Members at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine

Sheryl Strich, DPM, and President of AAWP along with the student chapter members of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine.

Aerosoles

This company defines comfort and style for all ages. Visit www.aerosoles.com to see what I mean.

Featured Article: Can I find comfort and style in a shoe?

Erin Glass, columnist for the San Diego Union Tribune recently interviewed Dr. Strich, Dr. Horton, and I on our opinions regarding style, comfort and what we suggest when it comes to wearing heels. She wrote a fantastic article which can be found below: 

Can I find comfort and style in a shoe? -Erin Glass 

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/24/can-i-find-comfort-and-style-in-a-shoe/#comment-47266326

Shoe Components

Shoes have five major components that we will refer to when discussing the many styles of shoes that women wear. This will come in handy when presented with the question of why we own so many shoes.

·       The toe box is the tip of the shoe that provides space for the toes. The shape of the toe box can be round, pointed, or squared which determines the positioning of the toes inside the shoe. Naturally, a wider toe box is more accommodating to the anatomical arrangement of the toes.

·       The vamp is the upper middle part of the shoe that covers the dorsum of the foot. In this area there can be laces, buckles or some other adornment.

·       The sole has two components, an insole and an outsole. The insole is located on the inside of the shoe, and the outsole, obviously is on the outside and exposed to the ground.

·       The heel is the bottom part of the rear of the shoe that provides height. For women, unless you’re Prince or a member of an 80’s rock band, the heel can range from completely flat to several inches high.

·       The counter is the rear of the shoe that provides support for the heel of your foot and the posterior aspect of the ankle joint. Many of us have had to place band-aids on the back of our feet because in a new shoe the upper edge of the counter rubs against our skin and acts as an irritant.

The material that is used to make the shoe makes a huge difference in fit and comfort. Softer materials like calf leather can decrease the amount of pressure applied to areas that may be irritated due to bunions or hammering of the toe. Stiffer materials like ostrich, rubber or plastic can cause painful blisters where they didn’t exist or inflame the pre-existing ones.

Contributed by: Tomika Coleman

tcoleman@americanwomenpodiatrists.com

REVIEW: ALDO Donelan

After strolling around Las Vegas for three nights in these ultra comfy DONELAN peep-toe pumps from Aldo, I felt like a review would be the be the only way I could do these shoes some justice.

The DONELAN pump is an incredibly stable shoe. The generous upper-front coverage with zipper held my foot in safe and securely and it made walking on uneven ground, in a normal stride length and speed quite easy. The last thing I would want is to walk around in an unstable shoe in fear of spraining my ankle with every step I take. Having said that, the four inch, and very thin heel didn’t really concern me. The DONELAN is made of extremely soft, stretchable leather that quickly conformed to my somewhat wide foot.  In addition, the peep-toe offers generous space for the toes and breathability which is something I really like.

However, I would recommend some sort of cushioning insert for this pump, especially at the metatarsal heads because of how high the heel is and the force that the met heads endure with every step taken. By the last night in Las Vegas, the balls of my feet were inevitably sore.

As a normal and frequent heel-wearer, I noticed that I could withstand wearing these hot heels for a longer period of time than I can usually bear wearing heels for. They are great for in between the winter and spring seasons and can be worn with so many different outfits – dressy or casual. So ladies, my final verdict for the Aldo DONELAN peep-toe pumps is that they are podiatrically correct if you’re looking for a comfortable, stylish heel that you predict on wearing for about 3-5 hours at a time.