Foot deformity corrective insoles and footwear with integrated insoles.

Abstract

To solve problems of footwear for foot deformity disorder, the problems in which commercially available ready-made footwear has an insole designed on the average data of human foot and naturally it is a difficult task to find ready-made footwear that fits individual user's foot, in which, particularly a user having a lesion in the foot often experiences pain in footwear with no footwear available that has effect for correcting a lesion, and in which although custom-made footwear is better than ready-made footwear in the fidelity of the last, there is no remedial effect at all for a foot having a lesion.SOLUTION: Projection is made for the sole of a user in a total of five parts which are in addition to three parts in Fig. 2 for the ball of a big toe 9, the balls of other toes 10, and a heel 11, and two parts for a big toe 8 and a little toe 7. As shown in Fig. 1, the five parts of the marks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are notched or drilled, and the insole 1 in which each part is fit in the inner sole of the footwear is spread on the inner sole of the footwear, otherwise the insole 1 is fabricated into the inner sole of the piece of footwear to make an integrated structure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The insole is laid on the midsole of the footwear and has a thickness ranging from about 1 mm to about 20 mm according to the use of the footwear. In addition to the three locations of the ball of the big toe, the ball of the little toe, and the heel, the portions projected onto the user's sole corresponding to the two locations of the big toe and the little toe are cut out, and the insole is laid in the footwear or the five locations of the midsole are changed to concave surfaces. With these, the five locations on the sole are dropped into the midsole of the footwear, and the medial longitudinal arch of the foot connecting the ball of the big toe and the heel, the lateral longitudinal arch of the foot connecting the ball of the little toe and the heel, and in addition, the transverse arch of the foot connecting the ball of the big toe and the ball of the little toe are formed. The arches formed by these three depressions are generally referred to as three-point arches.

[0002] Furthermore, by adding the depressions of the big toe and the little toe which are the gist of the present invention, there is a margin at the tip of the big toe and the little toe by the thickness of the insole, reducing the pressure on the toes. Due to the synergistic effect with the transverse arch of the above-mentioned three-point arch, the center of gravity balance on the sole becomes correct, and the big toe turns inwards. As a result, while reducing the pain of hallux valgus, it is corrected and cured, or the onset of hallux valgus is prevented. Similarly, the position of the little toe where five locations are dropped is corrected to the outer side while reducing the pain of the little toe varus, and cured, or the onset prevention effect can be obtained.

[0003] In addition to the effect of correcting foot deformities, the present invention enhances the gripping force of the sole on the midsole of the footwear, allowing for a stable and beautiful walking and running posture. This effect contributes to an improved feeling of wearing the footwear, such as reducing the fatigue of the feet (legs) of those engaged in standing work and improving the lower limb capabilities of sports athletes.

Background Art

[0004] To give an example of defects in footwear currently on the market, many products, from general footwear to athletic shoes, have insoles with narrow toe boxes and a narrow width. This tendency is particularly strong in athletic shoes, which are designed to make the foot and shoe feel like one unit. When weight is placed on the narrow toe boxes, the big toe and little toe become chronically jammed, and the joint of the big toe, having no way to move, becomes everted, resulting in a bunion, while the little toe, which is everted, becomes a bunionette. These can lead to various foot deformities such as calluses and corns.

[0005] In the production of ready-made footwear, the insoles are designed based on average data of human foot shapes. Therefore, it is naturally extremely difficult to find a product that fits an individual user's foot shape from among ready-made footwear. Even with custom-made shoes, while foot measurements may be accurate, there are no products that address the structure of the sole of the foot. Various insoles are available on the market to address these ill-fitting shoes. However, these are mainly for adjusting the size of loose shoes, raising the arch, or providing cushioning for painful areas of the foot. Some shoe stores have machines to create custom-made insoles, accurately molding individual foot shapes and selling expensive insoles. However, these simply place an insole that matches the current shape of the sole of the foot inside the shoe; they offer no corrective effect on foot problems. Users have been dissatisfied with this situation but have resigned themselves to it.

[0006] The number of people suffering from foot deformities such as bunions and hammertoes is increasing not only among women but also among men, due to the popularity of narrow-fitting footwear designs. Furthermore, there has been a sharp rise in young athletes, including children, in all sports such as soccer, track and field, table tennis, volleyball, and basketball. The number of sufferers in Japan alone exceeds 30 million.

[0007] Currently, the only medical treatment for bunions is osteotomy, a surgical procedure that involves cutting off the big toe near its base. Despite being an extremely painful procedure, patients often experience weakness in their big toe afterward, which significantly impairs their daily lives, and recurrence is also common. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] In the production of ready-made footwear, designs are based on average data of human foot shapes. Therefore, it is not easy to find footwear that fits an individual user's foot shape from among ready-made footwear. Furthermore, there are currently no footwear products that have a structure designed to correct diseased feet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In Figure 2, the five points indicated by symbols 9 (ball of the big toe), 10 (ball of the little toe), and 11 (heel), as well as the two points indicated by symbols 8 (big toe) and 7 (little toe), are projected to match the user's foot shape. As shown in Figure 1, five sections indicated by symbols 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are cut out, and insole 1, into which each section fits into the insole of the shoe, is placed in the insole of the footwear. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 3, five recesses can be punched into the insole of the footwear as a structural element during the manufacturing process. Note that the examples of cutouts indicated by symbols 2 to 6 are for a healthy foot shape; for people with foot deformities such as bunions, the shape and position will be distorted and different, so the cutouts or recesses can be adjusted accordingly. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As shown in the example in Figure 1, by inserting an insole with five cutouts labeled 2-6 into a shoe, or by wearing footwear as shown in Figure 3 with five cutouts in the insole, a medial longitudinal arch of the foot connecting the ball of the big toe 9 and the heel 11, a lateral longitudinal arch of the foot connecting the ball of the little toe 10 and the heel 11, and a transverse arch connecting the ball of the big toe 9 and the ball of the little toe 10 are formed. This shape is generally called a three-point arch. In addition to the three-point arch formation effect, the present invention also allows the big toe 8 to be dropped into the insole by the cutout 4 or cutout in Figure 1, creating extra space between the toes and the insole by the thickness of the insole 1. This reduces the pain of bunions, and the corrective effect of the wearer's own weight causes the bunion to turn inward, returning to the original healthy foot shape, thus healing or preventing the onset of bunions. Similarly, the little toe indicated by notch 5 or cutout 7 in Figure 1 is also recessed into the insole, creating extra space between the toes and the insole by the thickness of insole 1. This reduces the pain of bunionettes, and the corrective effect of the wearer's own weight helps the foot return to its original healthy shape, leading to healing or preventing the onset of bunionettes. In addition to addressing foot problems, it also improves the grip of the sole of the foot against the insole of footwear, reducing foot (leg) fatigue from standing work and improving the fit of all footwear, from general footwear to athletic footwear. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Reference numeral 1 denotes the insole of this application. Reference numerals 2 to 6 are diagrams showing the matching position of the insole with the part of the sole of the foot indicated by reference numeral 12, where reference numeral 2 is the heel, reference numeral 3 is the ball of the big toe, reference numeral 4 is the big toe, reference numeral 5 is the little toe, and reference numeral 6 indicates the position of the ball of the little toe. [Figure 2] The parts labeled 7 to 11 in the diagram and the corresponding oval shapes of the insole labeled 1 are examples of notches or cutouts for a normal foot shape. In cases of bunions or other foot deformities, the shapes labeled 2 to 6 will be distorted and in different positions depending on the individual symptoms, so notches or cutouts should be made to match the shape of the foot. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the insole of this application implemented in a shoe. It also serves as a diagram showing the insole of this application with a cutout cut into the insole of the shoe, creating an integrated structure. [Explanation of Symbols] )

[0012] 1. Insole of a shoe corresponding to the sole of the foot labeled 12. 2. Notch corresponding to the heel of reference numeral 11 3. Notch corresponding to the ball of the big toe, indicated by symbol 9. 4. Notch corresponding to the big toe, indicated by symbol 8. 5. Notch corresponding to the little toe of symbol 7 6. Notch corresponding to the little toe ball of the foot (indicated by symbol 10) 7 Little toe 8 big toe 9 Ball of the big toe 10 Little toe ball 11 Heel 12 soles of the feet

Claims

1. These are insoles for footwear, typically 1 to 20 mm thick, that are placed on top of the insole of the foot. They have a shape that projects the five points on the sole of the wearer's foot: the heel, the ball of the big toe, the ball of the little toe, and the two points on the big toe and little toe, with the insoles either concave or cut out. The three concave or notched shapes of the ball of the big toe, the ball of the little toe, and the heel are respectively fitted into the concave or notched shapes of the ball of the big toe, the ball of the little toe, and the heel. The big toe and little toe are each fitted into the respective concave or notched shapes of the two aforementioned locations on the big toe and little toe. By dropping the ball of the big toe, the ball of the little toe, and the heel at the three aforementioned locations, the medial longitudinal arch of the foot connecting the ball of the big toe and the heel, the lateral longitudinal arch of the foot connecting the ball of the little toe and the heel, and the transverse arch of the foot connecting the ball of the big toe and the ball of the little toe are formed. An insole for footwear characterized by creating space at the tips of the big toe and little toe by allowing the big toe and little toe to sink in at the two aforementioned locations.

2. Footwear characterized by having recesses punched in the insole of the footwear at positions corresponding to the five recesses of the insole described in claim 1.

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