A shoe insert includes a generally planar body having a perimeter defining a foot-shaped area on an upper side of the body, the foot-shaped area including first and second toe areas and a heel area configured respectively for placement of a first toe, a second toe, and a heel of a user. The upper side defines a channel extending along an axis passing through a space between the first and second toe areas and the heel area. A linear member may be placed in the channel to protrude from an upper surface of the body. When a user uses the insert, the user's foot may sense the channel (or linear member, if present) and activate mechano-receptors on the bottom of the foot along the channel, which, in-turn, may train the foot to extend in a predetermined position relative to the linear member to improve balance.

This invention generally relates to a shoe in which an orthopedic adjustment has been integrated into the construction of the shoe itself. The invention entails adjusting one or more of the soles or other construction features of the shoe itself in order to accommodate a medical condition or treatment regimen. In particular, in instances of abnormalities in the knee joint, there is a need to redistribute the weight of the body from an afflicted symptomatic medial compartment of the knee to an un-afflicted and asymptomatic, or lesser effected and less symptomatic compartment so as to relieve the pain and stress at the most afflicted and most symptomatic compartment. Benefits are also achieved by reducing a common ankle injury, and by improving lateral cutting, cornering, and push off maneuvers. The present invention achieves all this by laterally wedging the sole of a shoe, where the angle is chosen to counter and redistribute the weight of the body accordingly thereby changing the axial load on the knee and ankle joints.

A wearable article such as an article of athletic gear (e.g., a skate, an article of protective athletic equipment such as a helmet, etc.) wearable by a user and comprising an expandable user-engaging structure that is configured to be expanded (e.g., by heat or another stimulus) after manufacturing of the wearable article to conform it to the user or otherwise improve a fit of the wearable article on the user.

A reusable, customizable shoe-insole having an encased viscoelastic material disposed on base of an insole and configured to assume an arch support structure in accordance with sole geometries of each additional user.

A reusable, customizable shoe-insole having an encased viscoelastic material disposed on base of an insole and configured to assume an arch support structure in accordance with sole geometries of each additional user.

Provided are a hybrid insole with a multi-shock absorbing pad and a method for fabricating the hybrid insole. The hybrid insole includes an insole body including at least one sheet layer that is formed of an elastic material and has a shape of a human sole; a first absorbing pad means including first to fourth absorbing pad portions attached to the insole body corresponding to a metatarsal region, a tarsal bone region, and a calcaneus region of the human foot, and first to third connecting portions selectively connecting the first to fourth absorbing pad portions; and a second absorbing pad means including a fifth absorbing pad portion attached to the insole body corresponding to the metatarsal region and a phalange region of the human foot.

The hybrid insole is configured such that absorbing pads of different structures are disposed to correspond to the bone structure for each region of the foot and the shape of an arch, thus distributing and absorbing the weight load of the human body.

An article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure with a sole member. The sole member can be manufactured using a system that modifies the forefoot cushioning of the sole member over a series of footwear purchases. The modifications can be configured to correspond to a customer's evaluation of the forefoot cushioning previously purchased. The sole member can include a set of apertures or incisions that are formed along various surfaces of the sole member to adjust the cushioning characteristics of the sole member.

An insole is provided that is constructed out of a mesh material that is stretched and suspended over a cavity formed in a shoe. The mesh surrounds a foam base and a rigid frame positioned under the foam base. The foam base is shaped so that a cavity is formed between the top surface of the foam base and the mesh positioned over the foam base to provide a “trampoline” effect for a wearer's foot.

An insole is provided that is constructed out of a mesh material that is stretched and suspended over a cavity formed in a shoe. The mesh surrounds a foam base and a rigid frame positioned under the foam base. The foam base is shaped so that a cavity is formed between the top surface of the foam base and the mesh positioned over the foam base to provide a “trampoline” effect for a wearer's foot.

A sockliner for a shoe or other article of footwear is formed having at least one generally flat, planar surface. At least a portion of the sockliner has a linear width that exceeds the linear distance across a width of the shoe. When the sockliner is placed in the shoe, pressure on the wider portions of the sockliner changes the conformation of the sockliner to conform to the shoe.