In the Pedorthic world, there are 3 things – called the Three Essentials – that determine what kind of arch support and shoes are best for each person. They are:
- Arch type
- Shoe size
- Location of pressure points
The IStep, a product of Aetrex International, measures these essentials with 3,744 gold plated barometric sensors spaced every 0.25 centimeters with 1,326 infrared LED’s and receptors aligned every half millimeter. In about 30 seconds, the Pedorthist or salesperson can immediately hone in on the best combination of shoe shape, length, width and arch support.
What does all this mean? One is that a lot of people believe they have flat feet when they don’t. They are usually overpronaters and the untrained observer interprets this as flat feet. This is important because a flat foot does better in a different shape shoe than the medium or high arched foot. There are other similar misinterpretations with the other arch types. For more on this subject, we have the straight last, semi-curved last and curved last sections.
Not everyone wants to take our advice, based on IStep findings, for the best size and shape shoe and arch support. They (and we sometimes have to include ourselves in this tendency) want a specific shoe style and will just try to put up with it. Our mission is not to make everyone do what the IStep or we say is best; rather, it is to help people learn what is best for their situation. Then they are better equipped to make intelligent decisions about their feet.