A protective plate for footwear provides protection that is flexible. A protective plate may include a forefoot plate having a ball, middle and lateral section that are configured to move and flex to enable a better feel on uneven terrain. A protective plate may extend from the forefoot to the heel and include a midfoot protective plate and a heel protective plate. Sections of the protective plate are hinged or separated to allow for a greater degree of independent movement of the three main groups of muscles and bones in the forefoot in response to walking, hiking and running on various terrain. A separate insole is described that incorporates the forefoot protection plate and that can be inserted into and removed from footwear in order to provide additional protection as needed. A shoe including outer-sole, midsole and upper, are also described having a flexible protective plate.

An article of footwear including an upper and a sole assembly configured to provide broad base structural support and stability to a wearer's foot to promote pain prevention in the wearer. The footwear can include a midsole including a stability bridge that enhances torsional rigidity in an arch region, a bifurcated rigid central shank disposed in the arch region under the stability bridge that is visible to a viewer of the footwear and an outsole disposed below the midsole and the bifurcated central shank. The outsole can include a ladder tread section, disposed below the bifurcated central shank, that less than 5 mm above a lowermost surface of the remainder of the outsole so that the outsole includes a substantially flat ground contacting surface to promote stability. The outsole also can include an upwardly curved rearmost heel strike tread, and heel and/or forefoot impact absorption comfort pods in associated midsole voids.

The present invention is footwear having a convex shaped outsole with opposing wedge shaped configurations in the bottom of the front sole section and the back sole section which provide rotation of the front sole section and the back sole section in opposite directions when weight is applied. The present invention is also footwear convex shaped in the longitudinal direction with a split sole having opposing wedge shaped configurations in the bottom of the front sole section and the back sole section that provide rotation of the front sole section and the back sole section in opposite directions when weight is applied. The invention further includes footwear having at least one pair of wedges on the outsole which provide footwear having improved arch support. The invention is also footwear with a flexible, elastic, member between the front sole section and the back sole section of the sole.

A half-orthotic insert beginning at the heel and extending to the metatarsal region of the foot having raised elements that align with the fascia ligament for the purpose of providing relief of plantar fasciitis.

Low-profile dance shoes and associated methods of manufacture are disclosed herein. One aspect of the invention is directed toward a dance shoe that includes an integrated heel member that provides increased support, stability, and shock-absorption for the dancer. The dance shoe can further include a support member configured to provide lateral support to the foot and/or ankle, and a shock-absorption member.

An insole, which is insertable into a shoe and is removable from the shoe, includes at least a top layer, a middle layer, and a bottom layer. The middle layer has apertures or cavities, that define several discrete storage chambers within the insole. Each storage chamber stores a mixture of two or more particulate materials. The mixture includes one or more materials selected from Group A, which includes natural sand, synthetic sand, artificial sand, kinetic sand, silica, quartz. The mixture further includes one or more materials selected from Group B, which includes: powdered aluminum, powdered titanium, powdered zinc, powdered magnesia, powdered silver, powdered anti-bacterial agent, powdered metal, powdered talcum, grained cork, grained coal, grained wood.

A sole member for an article of footwear includes a composite sole structure and a reinforcing member. The sole structure may comprise two layers of woven composite material. The two layers have substantially similar woven patterns. The sole structure includes bulging portions with centrally recessed portions. The reinforcing member fits into channels associated with the bulging portions.

Articles of footwear can include an adaptive-height sole structure. The sole structure can comprise one or more bladder systems positioned between a midsole and a banking plate. The banking plate can change its relative orientation to the midsole based on an inflation level of the bladder systems.

Sole structures for articles of footwear, including athletic footwear, include: (a) an outsole component; (b) a midsole component engaged with the outsole component, wherein the midsole component includes at least one opening or receptacle; (c) at least one fluid-filled bladder system or foam system provided in the opening or receptacle; and/or (d) a rigid plate system including one or more rigid plates overlaying the fluid-filled bladder or foam system(s). The rigid plate(s) may be fixed directly to the midsole component or the rigid plate(s) may rest on the fluid-filled bladder(s) or foam somewhat above the surface of the midsole component when the sole structure is in an uncompressed condition. Articles of footwear and methods of making sole structures and articles of footwear including such sole structures also are described.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for generating orthotic device models using simulated patient anatomy. In one implementation, a method comprises receiving images of a body part of a patient; deriving physical measurements from the images; generating anatomy model data of the body part using the physical measurements; and generating orthotic model data based on the anatomy model data, the orthotic model data being representative of an orthotic device.