footwear

Abstract

The aim is to provide footwear that can improve both excessive supination and excessive pronation through continued wear. [Solution] Footwear for correcting postural distortions, comprising a pair of protrusions extending from the sole surface and running parallel to the outer and inner edges of the sole surface, wherein the protrusions protrude higher than the intermediate region between them. Because it is provided with a pair of protrusions extending parallel to the inner and outer edges of the sole surface, the tilting of the foot associated with excessive supination and excessive pronation is alleviated, and the onset of excessive supination and excessive pronation can also be prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to footwear.

Background Art

[0002] Patients with oversupinated feet have a load biased toward the outer side rather than the inner side of the sole during walking, which easily causes posture distortions such as genu varum, anterior pelvic tilt, swayback, straight neck, and retrognathia. Meanwhile, patients with overpronated feet have a load applied to the inner side rather than the outer side of the sole during walking, which easily causes posture distortions such as genu valgum, posterior pelvic tilt, rounded back, straight neck, and retrognathia. These posture distortions become factors that cause symptoms such as knee pain, lower back pain, stiff shoulders, stiff neck, mouth breathing, low tongue position, temporomandibular joint disorder, toe dysfunction, reduced foot muscle strength, splayfoot, hallux valgus, and bunionette. In particular, when toe dysfunction occurs, not only the balance of the rest of the body is disrupted, making the patient prone to falling and tripping, but also the muscle activity of the triceps surae during walking decreases, which easily causes blood flow disorders (cold feet). Furthermore, as the toe pressure decreases, ingrown toenails and pincer nails also easily occur.

[0003] As footwear for correcting such posture distortions, Patent Document 1 describes footwear in which the inner side of the bottom of the heel portion is lower than the outer side.

[0004] However, the footwear described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that while it improves oversupinated feet, it cannot improve overpronated feet. In addition, there is also a problem that even though oversupination is improved, continued wearing may cause the onset of overpronation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Therefore, the main objective of the present invention is to improve both excessive supination and excessive pronation of the foot through continued wear. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The footwear according to the present invention is footwear that corrects postural distortion, and is characterized by having a pair of protrusions that protrude from the bottom surface of the sole and extend parallel to the outer edge and inner edge of the bottom surface, respectively, wherein the protrusions protrude higher than the intermediate region between them.

[0008] According to the present invention, since the sole is equipped with a pair of protrusions extending parallel to the inner and outer edges of the sole surface, when worn by a patient with excessive supination, upon landing, the protrusions extending continuously or intermittently parallel to the outer edge generate a reaction force from the floor that pushes back the outwardly tilted foot inward. This alleviates the tilting of the foot associated with excessive supination. As a result, the imbalance in inward and outward load (body weight) is suppressed, postural distortions caused by excessive supination are corrected, and the posture is returned to a neutral position where the load is distributed approximately evenly between the outer and inner sides. Furthermore, since the protrusions extending parallel to the inner edge suppress the foot from tilting inward more than necessary, the onset of excessive supination can also be prevented.

[0009] On the other hand, when worn by a patient with excessive pronation, the raised ridges extending parallel to the inner edge create a reaction force from the floor that pushes the inwardly tilted foot outward upon landing. This alleviates the foot tilt associated with excessive pronation. As a result, the imbalance in inward and outward weight distribution is suppressed, postural distortions caused by excessive pronation are corrected, and the posture returns to a neutral position where weight is distributed almost equally between the outer and inner sides. Furthermore, the raised ridges extending parallel to the outer edge prevent the foot from tilting outward more than necessary, thus preventing the development of excessive supination.

[0010] Patients with excessive supination and excessive pronation often experience an imbalance in weight distribution between the inward and outward directions, particularly on the heel side rather than the toe side.

[0011] Therefore, it is preferable that the sole comprises an intermediate support portion that supports the arch of the foot, a front support portion that supports the toe side of the arch of the foot, and a rear support portion that supports the heel side of the arch of the foot, and that the protrusions are provided at least on the rear support portion.

[0012] Furthermore, patients with excessive supination and excessive pronation often experience uneven weight distribution in the inward and outward directions, not only on the heel side but also on the toe side.

[0013] Therefore, the protrusion may be provided so as to extend from the rear support portion to the front support portion.

[0014] Furthermore, at least one of the rear or front end of the protrusion may be configured such that its protrusion height decreases as it approaches the tip.

[0015] With this configuration, the protrusions are less likely to catch on the ground when walking, allowing for smoother walking.

[0016] Furthermore, the sole may be configured to flex toward the space between the two protrusions when a load is applied.

[0017] This configuration allows the reaction force from the floor to be directed more inward, making it easier to mitigate the tilt of the foot. It also improves comfort. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, both excessive supination and excessive pronation of the foot can be improved by continued wear. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view showing footwear according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic side view showing footwear according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic bottom view showing the footwear of the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a rear view showing the operation of the footwear of the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a bottom view schematically showing footwear of another embodiment. Forms for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the footwear according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0021] <Embodiment> The footwear 100 according to the present embodiment corrects posture distortion associated with oversupination and overpronation, and is specifically a shoe. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, this shoe includes a sole 10 and an upper 20 covering the upper side of the sole 10.

[0022] The sole 10 has elasticity and flexibility. For example, it is formed of foamed resin, rubber, leather, or the like.

[0023] This sole 10 includes a middle support part 11 that supports the arch part of the foot of the wearer (patient), a front support part 12 that supports the toe side relative to the arch part 11, and a rear support part 13 that supports the heel side relative to the arch part 11, and the front support part 12 specifically supports the toes and the ball of the foot.

[0024] Accordingly, the footwear 100 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of ridges 30 protruding downward from the bottom surface BS of the sole 10 and extending in parallel with the inner edge and the outer edge of the bottom surface BS respectively. In the present embodiment, the ridges extend continuously, but the present invention is not limited to this, and they may extend intermittently.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the ridge 30 extending in parallel with the inner edge is also referred to as an inner ridge 30a. Further, the ridge 30 extending in parallel with the outer edge is also referred to as an outer ridge 30b. The inner ridge 30a extends along the inner edge, and the outer ridge 30b extends along the outer edge. The inner ridge 30a and the outer ridge 30b are spaced apart from each other. That is, the front ends and the rear ends of both the ridges 30a and 30b are not connected to each other.

[0026] The aforementioned protrusion 30 is elongated and is provided at least on the rear support portion 13. In this embodiment, it is provided so as to extend from the rear support portion 13 to the front support portion 12. In other words, it is provided so as to span the rear support portion 13, the intermediate support portion 11, and the front support portion 12.

[0027] Both protrusions 30 protrude higher than the intermediate region between them. In this embodiment, this intermediate region is formed to be flat, but for example, it may have a surface that provides anti-slip properties. The two protrusions 30 are configured to be approximately the same height when viewed from the width direction. More specifically, they are configured so that the heights of the opposing parts are approximately the same when viewed from the width direction. The height of the protrusions 30 is preferably 2 mm to 6 mm, more preferably 3 mm to 5 mm, and even more preferably 4 mm to 5 mm. If the protrusions are smaller than 2 mm, it becomes difficult to correct the unevenness of the load in the inward and outward directions, and if they are larger than 6 mm, they become unstable. Within this height range, approximately the same height specifically means that the height of the other protrusion 30 is within ±40% of the height of the other protrusion 30, and more preferably within ±20%. If the height is not within this range, it may worsen symptoms of excessive supination or excessive pronation.

[0028] The protrusion 30 is configured such that the height of the protrusion gradually decreases as the front end 31 and rear end 32 approach the tip. Specifically, it is inclined so that the height of the protrusion gradually decreases as it approaches the tip (front end, rear end). The intermediate portion between the front end 31 and the rear end 32 is formed to a substantially uniform height.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rear end of the protrusion 30 does not reach the rear end of the sole 10, and the front end does not reach the front end of the sole 10. In other words, the front and rear ends of the bottom surface BS of the sole 10 are provided with non-installation areas X1 and X2 where the protrusion 30 is not provided. These non-installation areas X1 and X2 are formed in a flat shape, similar to the intermediate area between the two protrusions 30.

[0030] The non-installed area X1 at the front end is set to a length range of 3% to 12% from the front end, and more preferably to a length range of 3% to 8%. By setting it to such a range, the sole 10 bottom surface BS can be moved smoothly when walking.

[0031] Furthermore, the non-contact area X2 at the rear end is set to a length range of 5% to 15% from the rear end, and more preferably to a length range of 8% to 12%, when the total length of the footwear 100 in the front-to-back direction is considered as 100%. By setting it to such a range, the bottom surface BS of the sole 10 can be made to land smoothly when walking.

[0032] Furthermore, the protrusions 30 are positioned such that at least the portion provided on the rear support portion 13 is located outside the position where the wearer's sole makes contact when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the portion provided on the front support portion 12 is also positioned outside the position where the wearer's sole makes contact when viewed from above.

[0033] In this embodiment, the protrusions 30 are formed integrally with the sole 10, but the invention is not limited to this, and the protrusions 30 may be formed separately and attached to the bottom surface BS of the sole 10.

[0034] Next, the operation of the sole 10 when a patient (wearer) with excessive supination walks while wearing the footwear 100 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 shows the patient's right foot. Therefore, the left side is the medial side and the right side is the lateral side.

[0035] First, when the patient places their foot F on the ground, the sole 10 remains in an uncurved state until a load is applied to it, as shown in Figure 4(a). Subsequently, when a load is applied to the sole 10, the sole 10 becomes curved, as shown in Figure 4(b). Specifically, the sole 10 curves so as to fit between the two convex ridges 30a and 30b. Then, when the patient lifts their foot F, the load is removed from the sole 10, and the sole 10 returns to an uncurved state. This process is repeated during walking.

[0036] Next, we will explain how excessive supination is corrected. In an uncorrected state, the foot F in an excessive supination is tilted downward from the inside to the outside, as shown by the dotted line A in Figure 4(a). Therefore, when the patient places their foot F down, the outside of the foot F first makes contact with the sole 10.

[0037] As a result, a load is applied to the outward convex rib 30b, and as shown in Figure 4(b), a reaction force from the floor acts on the outside of the foot F, pushing inward and upward. Subsequently, a load is applied to the inward convex rib 30a, and a reaction force from the floor acts on the inside of the foot F, pushing outward and upward. These two reaction forces bring the foot F closer to a non-tilted state, correcting excessive supination. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a load is applied to the sole 10, the sole 10 curves, causing the foot F to fit into the curved sole 10, and the foot F becomes stable in a non-tilted state.

[0038] In this embodiment, since the protrusion 30 extends to the front support portion 12, the same action occurs in the ball of the foot area, where uneven weight distribution is likely to occur. This action is repeated each time the patient places their foot F down.

[0039] According to this embodiment, the sole 10 has a pair of protrusions 30 extending parallel to the inner and outer edges of the bottom surface BS. When worn by a patient with excessive supination, upon landing, the outer protrusion 30b extending parallel to the outer edge generates a reaction force from the floor that pushes the inclined foot F back to an upright position. This corrects excessive supination. As a result, the uneven distribution of load in the inward and outward directions (width direction) is suppressed, and the postural distortion associated with excessive supination is corrected. In addition, the inner protrusion 30a extending parallel to the inner edge prevents the foot F from tilting inward more than necessary, thus preventing the onset of excessive supination.

[0040] On the other hand, when worn by a patient with excessive supination, the inward convex rib 30a, which extends parallel to the inner edge, generates a reaction force from the floor that pushes the inclined foot F back to an upright position upon landing. This corrects the excessive supination. As a result, the uneven distribution of weight in the inward and outward directions (width direction) is suppressed, and the postural distortion associated with excessive supination is corrected. In addition, the outward convex rib 30b, which extends parallel to the outer edge, prevents the foot F from tilting outward more than necessary, thus preventing the onset of excessive supination.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a load is applied to the sole 10, the sole 10 bends, and the foot F fits into the bent sole 10 in a corrected state, so that the corrected state can be more reliably maintained from the time the foot F lands until it is lifted off the ground.

[0042] <Other Embodiments> The footwear according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. In the embodiments described above, shoes were used as an example of footwear, but the invention is not limited to these. For example, sandals or slippers may also be used.

[0043] Furthermore, although the above embodiment is configured so that the sole bends when a load is applied, it is not limited to this. In other words, the sole may be configured so that it does not bend even when a load is applied. Even in this case, a reaction force from the floor acts on the foot, so excessive supination and excessive pronation can be corrected.

[0044] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the front and rear ends of the protrusion are inclined so that the protrusion height gradually decreases towards the tip, but this is not limited to this. For example, only one of the front or rear ends may be inclined, or neither may be inclined.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the protrusion extends from the rear support portion to the front support portion, but as shown in Figure 5, it may be provided only on the rear support portion 13.

[0046] Furthermore, various combinations or modifications of parts of the embodiments are permitted, as long as they do not contradict the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 100 footwear 10 soles 20 Upper 30 raised stripes 31 Front end 32 Rear end

Claims

1. These are footwear designed to correct postural imbalances. It has a pair of protrusions that project from the bottom surface of the sole and extend continuously or intermittently parallel to the outer and inner edges of the bottom surface, Footwear characterized in that the aforementioned protrusions protrude higher than the intermediate region between them.

2. The sole comprises an intermediate support portion that supports the arch of the foot, a front support portion that supports the toe area beyond the arch of the foot, and a rear support portion that supports the heel area beyond the arch of the foot. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein the aforementioned protrusions are provided at least on the rear support portion.

3. The footwear according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is provided so as to extend from the rear support portion to the front support portion.

4. The footwear according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the rear end or front end of the protrusion is configured such that the height of the protrusion decreases as it approaches the tip.

5. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein the sole is configured to flex toward the space between the two convex ridges when a load is applied.

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