The present shoe and therapy system pertains to a uniquely designed shoe that provides therapeutic benefits to wearers. It includes a fold-down heel portion that is designed to repeatedly fold and straighten such that a wearer may collapse the heel into the interior of the shoe and then wear the shoe while standing on the collapsed heel. The folded down fold-down heel includes a plurality of bumps or ridges positioned to provide acupressure therapy to the wearer when folded down, but the heel may alternately be folded up so that the shoe may be worn in the traditional manner.

An article of footwear may include a sole structure fixedly attached to an upper defining an internal cavity configured to receive a foot of a wearer. The sole structure may include an exposed outer member configured to contact the ground, the exposed outer member including a first aperture, and a sensory feedback member disposed at least partially within the first aperture in the outer member, the sensory feedback member including a first end and a second end. The first end of the sensory feedback member may include a projection extending through the first aperture and configured to contact the ground. In addition, the second end of the sensory feedback member may include a plurality of flexible bristles extending through a portion of the sole structure and exposed to the internal cavity.

A somatosensation and proprioceptor stimulation surface configured to stimulate rapid-firing nerves in the receptive field of a user's glabrous skin. The somatorsensation and proprioceptor stimulation surface includes a plurality of protuberances disposed thereupon, each protuberance sized and spaced apart appropriately to impress the receptive field when pressed in contact with the glabrous skin of the user. Each protuberance widens from an apex toward a base whereby increased pressure applied to the surface increases an area of contact and stimulation by applying stimulation over a larger area of skin. The protuberances are spaced apart to maximize stimulation of rapid firing nerves while lessening overstimulation. The somatosensation and proprioceptor stimulation surface is rendered in the form of a mat or floor covering and alternatively as an insole for wear in a user's shoes.

A method includes receiving monitoring data from at least one sensing device coupled to a subject and analyzing the monitoring data to identify one or more physiologic parameters of the subject. The method also includes providing signaling to at least one stimulating device in response to the identified physiologic parameters, the signaling comprising instructions to apply a stimulus to the subject. The method further includes receiving additional monitoring data from the at least one sensing device, analyzing the additional monitoring data to identify one or more changes in the one or more physiologic parameters of the subject after application of the stimulus to the subject, and providing additional signaling to the at least one stimulating device, the additional signaling comprising instructions to modify the stimulus applied to the subject based on the identified changes in the one or more physiologic parameters.

A sole structure may include a damping pad. The damping pad may include a chamber, a foam element located within the chamber, particles located within the chamber and at least partially filling cavities in the foam element, and a set of electrodes positioned to create, in response to a voltage across the electrodes, an electrical field in at least a portion of the particles.

A sole structure may include a damping pad. The damping pad may include a chamber, a foam element located within the chamber, particles located within the chamber and at least partially filling cavities in the foam element, and a set of electrodes positioned to create, in response to a voltage across the electrodes, an electrical field in at least a portion of the particles.

A method includes receiving monitoring data from at least one sensing device coupled to a subject and analyzing the monitoring data to identify one or more physiologic parameters of the subject. The method also includes providing signaling to at least one stimulating device in response to the identified physiologic parameters, the signaling comprising instructions to apply a stimulus to the subject. The method further includes receiving additional monitoring data from the at least one sensing device, analyzing the additional monitoring data to identify one or more changes in the one or more physiologic parameters of the subject after application of the stimulus to the subject, and providing additional signaling to the at least one stimulating device, the additional signaling comprising instructions to modify the stimulus applied to the subject based on the identified changes in the one or more physiologic parameters.

A dynamic orthotic device has a pair of rotating disks which are received in a base. Each disk houses a plurality of spherical foot-massaging balls. Each of the pair of disks is activated by a spring-biased pushbutton with arms mounted to a bottom edge of the pushbutton, each arm having a tine which engages a gear-toothed member affixed to the respective rotating disk and rotates them in opposite rotational directions. The massaging balls engage the soles of the wearer's feet in different locations with each respective step eliminating pressure buildup on the heels of the wearer.

A functional shoe insole includes: a body part located inside a shoe, and configured to, when the shoe is worn by a user, come into direct contact with a sole of a foot of the user and distribute a load applied to the foot; an arch stimulation member coupled to the body part at a predetermined position, and configured to stimulate an arch portion of the sole of the foot of the user; and a heel stimulation member coupled to the body part at a predetermined position, and configured to stimulate a heel portion of the sole of the foot of the user. The arch stimulation member includes a first arch acupressure module. The heel stimulation member includes a first heel acupressure module.

A shoe for massaging the inner side of hallux includes a sole, a vamp mounted on the sole, and an elastic correction band with both ends installed to the inner side of the vamp and the top of the sole respectively. The elastic correction band has a massage area on an outer surface of the hallux and massage bumps on the massage area. Both ends of the elastic correction band have a fixed part on the inner side of the vamp, and the fixed part at the lower end of the elastic correction band is installed to the top of the sole. The massage area of the elastic correction band can massage the trigeminal nerve acupoints on the inner side of the hallux to achieve the effect of relieving migraine. In addition, the elastic correction band can correct the hallux valgus and provide a certain buffering effect by its elasticity.