A shoe includes: an upper in which an upper middle foot portion covering a middle foot portion of a foot of a wearer, an upper rear foot portion covering a heel portion of the foot, and a foot insertion opening for inserting the foot are formed; a sole located below the upper; a first support member disposed below a medial longitudinal arch of the foot inside the upper and including a lateral foot side portion fixed to the upper or the sole; and a first pulling-up member connected to a medial foot side portion of the first support member and enabled to apply, to the first support member, force for pulling up the first support member in a direction toward the upper rear foot portion and away from the sole.

Describes are support elements for a sole of a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, a sole and a shoe with such a support element, as well as a method for the manufacture of a support element. As examples, the support element includes a first partial member formed of a first material, and a second partial member formed of a second material. The first partial member is mechanically joined to the second partial member in a connection region, wherein the connection region is configured to allow the first partial member to rotate or slide relative to the second partial member. The first partial member, the second partial member, and the connection region can be co-molded and joined together in a single fabricating step.

An article of footwear may include an elastic membrane suspended within an interior of an upper of the article of footwear and spaced above the sole, such that a wearer's foot contacts the membrane and is cradled by the membrane as the membrane is stretched toward an underlying midsole. In some examples, the 5 membrane may contact the midsole for a discrete length of a contact area, e.g., selected by the manufacturer. In some examples, a void between the membrane and the sole is filled, at least in part, with a selected filler material. In some examples, the membrane comprises a material having tailored stretch characteristics.

A shoe includes: an upper; a tightening tool disposed above an instep of a wearer and capable of applying, to the upper, tightening force for drawing portions and on the both sides in a foot width direction of the upper; and an arch support part provided such that tightening force applied to a first side portion in a foot width direction of the upper can be transmitted to the arch support part. The tightening force transmitter has stretchability in foot girth directions set higher than that of the arch support part.

The present invention relates to an orthotic for a foot, the orthotic having a top side and a bottom side and further comprising a top side raised medial arch structure and a raised lateral arch structure and a flat midfoot section, to a half foot orthotic with the same features, to an orthotic for a foot having a top side valgus and/or varus wedge and a first metatarsal indentation, and to related methods.

Bladders for footwear uppers, footwear uppers including the bladders, articles of footwear including the bladders, and/or methods of making and using such bladders are described. At least one bladder chamber is provided in the instep and/or tongue area of the upper/article of footwear. In some examples, force applied to the instep based bladder chamber(s) moves fluid to one or more additional bladder chambers located in the arch and/or midfoot areas of the upper/article of footwear, and/or other areas of the wearer's foot. This movement of fluid increases fluid pressure and/or volume in the arch, midfoot, and/or other areas of the wearer's foot to provide additional support.

An article of footwear includes an upper defining a throat configured to receive a foot. The article of footwear also includes a sole structure coupled to the upper. The article of footwear further includes a panel having a first side coupled to the upper for movement between an open position and a closed position. The panel exposes a portion of the throat in the open position and covers the portion of the throat in the closed position. The article of footwear also includes a strap having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end and the second end are disposed on a first side of the upper with a body portion of the strap disposed between the first end and the second end surrounding the upper.

A compression appliance includes a textile-based wrap, an electronic assembly, and wiring comprising a single wire looped through the length of the wrap. The wiring comprises shape changing materials that are used to apply controllable intermittent sequential compression or constriction pressure to a body portion of a person when the compression appliance is wrapped around the body portion. The appliance can incorporate a pre-tensioning element that applies a known initial tension to the shape changing material prior to activation of a compression cycle. The wire can be then actuated according to a compression protocol to sequentially contract and release the wire. The proposed wiring and component configuration will need access to lower power and a reduced volume of hardware as compared to conventional compression appliances.

An elongate strap support system for anatomical support, pain reduction, or therapeutic treatment includes a package containing a first elongate strap support and at least one additional elongate strap support. In one example, the first elongate strap support includes a woven fabric support layer including synthetic fibers. The woven fabric is shaped so as to form an elongated strap with rounded portions. The woven fabric is substantially resistant to stretching in one direction under such test conditions as those specified in ASTM D3759. The first elongate strap support additionally includes an adhesive layer on the support layer for adhesive attachment of the woven fabric support layer to an outer skin surface of a body and a removable cover layer on the adhesive layer.

A method for manufacturing stretch resistant plantar fascia support system is provided. The stretch resistant plantar fascia support system is adhesively applied to the foot of a patient for providing relief from plantar fasciitis. A portion of the stretch resistant plantar fascia support system is adhesively attached to the bottom surface of the foot for reducing stress on the plantar fascia.