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The left shoe as standard. |
The modified right shoe. |
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Yet something else comfortable for your feet and giving you that extra bit of lift if you need it
The even NEWER modified trainer.
Like the original shoes, this is
built for comfort & a bit of warmth a bit more speed BUT
has the added bonus of extra height.
This shoe was yet another part of my ongoing attempts to achieve something which would give me
Comfort to allow me to continue improving my weight bearing.
As explained earlier on the site, following the
problems I had back in May 1999 , I suffered the loss of the leg
length I'd gained. I now had a few centimetres difference between the
left and right leg.
Even though the bones appeared to be uniting OK now, I
still needed to ensure good weight bearing through the leg. The
original shoe had worked ok whilst the frame was on but now, with it
removed, I really wanted something which looked a bit more normal, so
to speak.
Browsing around the Internet I came across a company
called Footwear Findings in the UK. This firm supply the specialist
materials for orthotic shoe and wedge manufacture.
After a couple of telephone calls and their kind
provision of some sample pieces of material, I ordered two half metre
square sheets of the Evalon AA material at 1.2mm thick.
I got one black and one white as this would probably
give me enough variations to play about with. The company also supply
the sole/heel pre-forms but I wall still experimenting so I have not
yet tried them.
I must thank Footwear Findings for their help and
explain here that they are NOT manufacturers of
footwear themselves nor can they offer medical advice.
I had reckoned that flat soled trainers would be the
best option to start with, theorising that I could removed the
existing sole/heel sheet with a bit of heat; attach the new build up
material and then re-fit the sole/heel.
And basically that's exactly what I achieved.
The Evalon AA is very easy to work with. I used a
paper template and a craft knife to cut the material roughly to size
and shape. Some smoothing and shaping and thinning of the thickness
of the sheet may be required if the trainers have a rounded upward
curve at the toe. This can be done either with glass/sand paper or
(better still) a belt sander machine.
WATCH OUT FOR YOUR FINGERS AND WEAR BREATHING AND EYE PROTECTION!
Each 'build up' was glued to the shoe using a good
quality impact adhesive, ensuring that all instructions for use and
safety are followed.
After the assembly was solid any necessary shaping
prior to the addition of the next sheet was then carried out. The
next sheet was then glued on as before. When this was solid, the
final smoothing and shaping can be carried out. This makes sure that
the shape of the shoe is maintained overall. The original sole/heel
is then reglued to the shoe. Voila! I had a comfortable, 24mm height
raised shoe which worked perfectly I'm pleased to say.
I was also able to utilise the Mark 2 version of the spring driven Doo-Dah (Spring driven Doo-Dah 2 ) hence the key rings through the front lace holes.
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The left shoe as standard. |
The modified right shoe. |
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PLEASE NOTE:
AS MENTIONED BEFORE, CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR PRIOR
TO ATTEMPTING ANY SUCH MODIFICATIONS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT AS TO YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE SUCH
A SHOE, DON'T DO IT!
EVEN IF YOU RECKON YOU CAN DO IT AND YOUR DOCTOR SAYS
DON'T, THEN DON'T! HE'S THE PERSON TO ULTIMATELY LISTEN TO!
I WOULD ALSO ONLY RECOMMEND SUCH AN ATTEMPT AS IN A
SIMILAR CASE TO MINE WHERE THE DESCREPANCY IN LENGTH IS A MATTER OF
20 TO 30 MILLIMETRES. ANY MORE THAN THAT AND I FEEL THAT STABILITY OF
HOME ASSEMBLY COULD POSE A SERIOUS PROBLEM.
IN SHORT
IF IN DOUBT - DON'T!
