Healthy Shoes - what to look for

There are many different takes on healthy shoes. Some people call them orthopedic shoes – although this description may be reserved for special needs shoes, whilst others call them “comfort” shoes.

Ultimately what these shoes are really about is having a design, build and fit that is aimed at doing a job rather than looking good. Shoes of this type will have a roomy fit, no internally projecting stitching or junctions of material, low heals, breathable fabrics and good adjustable fittings to guarantee that the shoes “do” fit comfortably.

Most healthy, comfort-fit, or orthopedic shoes will come in varying width fittings. This is important as it is not only the length, but the width of people’s feet that vary in size. Wearing shoes that are too tight or too loose can cause discomfort and abrasion injuries, so getting the right width of shoe is very important.

Other features of these shoes include good soles with plenty of padding to cushion the feet. Ultimately the soles of the feet, although small in area, take the entire weight of the body and this makes a resilient well padded shoe sole absolutely vital.

Removable and replaceable insoles are another good attribute of healthy shoes. A removable insole makes it possible to replace an older insole as its functionality starts to fail, or to obtain an insole with particular properties, for example being made of gel.

The variety of orthopedic type shoes that are now available has increased dramatically over recent years, as has the aesthetics of these shoes. This has been helped by the current fashions that regard a chunky, heavy looking shoe as being modern and stylish.

The down side to this is that there are now many “comfort” stylized shoes that look healthy, but are simply designed to look that way and lack the real traits of this kind of shoe.

Always look for what a health product actually does rather than being persuaded by its visual appeal, or its fashion credibility.

Full body pillows

These are special pillows that are intended for the whole body rather than just the head. This type of pillow is long and narrow, typically about one to one and a half feet wide by 4 feet to 6 feet in length, although bigger and smaller sizes may be found.

Most body pillows are rectangular in shape, although some are shaped like a snake in a figure “S”. Some people find this shape more comfortable to sleep on (or around).

Body pillows can slept on in a number of different ways and by different styles of sleeper. However, they are most popular with people who sleep on their side. For these people the pillow helps to support the side of their body and it acts like a bolster.

Exactly how this kind of pillow is used for a normal sleeper is really a matter of personal choice, however many people do find them beneficial to their sleep.

Body pillows can be a great asset for any woman who is pregnant because the pillow will help to support the body and relieve pressure whilst in a lying down posture.

Other users

Other people who may gain from using a body pillow are those who suffer from muscle or bone pain, those who are very overweight and anyone who has had surgery (or is recovering from an injury) and wishes to be propped/supported in a specific sleeping position.

Because a body pillow is more cushioned and softer than a mattress it can prove very comfortable for those who like very soft beds, or easily suffer pressure sores etc.

Wheelchairs and sport

Not too long ago the expression “disabled” started to become politically incorrect - for one thing many people who were pigeon holed under this title were not fond of it, and for another many felt that they were more than capable of doing anything that a “so called able bodied” person could do.

Superficially the last statement sounds somewhat optimistic, however, taking sport as an example, with adaptations, some simple changes in rules, and Hi-Tec equipment, someone in a wheelchair can play pretty much any and all sports.

Developments in wheelchair design

Some 30 to 35 years ago wheelchairs were generally all the same, the only real difference was that some were motorized and powered by battery, however times, and wheelchairs, have moved on.

In the 21st century you can buy not just a range of different sports wheelchairs, but wheelchairs designed for specific sports like badminton, tennis or track racing. Wheelchairs like this have strong lightweight designs with unbelievable dexterity, manoeuvrability and handling. In short, they have a range of features that make them perfect for playing all kinds of different sports.

There are many different wheelchair sports and they range for static sports like archery and shooting to high speed impact sports like basketball. You can even get wheelchairs for participation in dancing!

An example – basketball

The wheelchairs that are used for basketball are light, strong and protective with leg and lower body guards that wrap around the front section of the wheelchair. Their large rear wheels slant outwards (from top to bottom) and this gives them better stability and balance. They will usually have one (or a par of) additional castor wheels at the rear of the chair to prevent it from tipping during impacts and direction changes.

Interestingly, wheelchair basketball has become a popular sport in its own right and it is now played by able bodied teams who use wheelchairs only when participating in the sport.

Basketball is of course just one of the many sports that now have specially adapted wheelchairs designed for them and you can easily find out more about the different chair types and the sports that they allow someone to play at. This page has (now removed) links to sections covering track racing, static sports and even extreme wheelchair sports. It will also tell you abut standard and motorised wheelchairs and provide some information about obtaining a wheelchair through the British National Health Service.