Category: Articles

There are a number of different causes of toe walking in children and they all need to be investigated by a pediatric health professional to identify the reason as a number of neurological conditions can cause it. The most common cause of toe walking in children is what is called idiopathic toe walking, in which there is no identifiable cause. This idiopathic toe walking is the most common type of toe walking in children. The rigid carbon fiber plates that are only 1,2-1.5 millimeters thick have been shown in research…

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Midfoot osteoarthritis is a reasonable common cause of pain in the midfoot, in front of the ankle that results in chronic pain and limits mobility. The midfoot consists of what is called the tarso-metatarsal (TMT) joints and naviculo-cuneiform joints (NCJ) and it is these multiple joints that are affected. The symptoms usually start out as an ache or discomfort in the midfoot that is usually worse when standing for long periods of time or walking. This is often treated with foot orthotics to support the midfoot and injection therapy or…

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A number of research studies have looked at the Effectiveness of Shoe Stiffening Inserts for First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Osteoarthritis to test how well they do or do not work. In this study by Jerilyn et al in 2015, they reported that in the 31 subjects in their study, at 1 and 3 months, statistically significant improvements in foot pain and foot-related disability were observed using the rigid shoe stiffening inserts. The treatment was reported to be effective by 78% of participants. In this 2021 study by Munteanu et al that…

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The CarbonEaze rigid carbon fiber plates or inserts are only 1.0 to 1.2 mm thick, so they can pretty much fit into any shoe except for the most tightly fitted shoes. When using them they will restrict the movement of the metatarsophalangeal joints across the ball of the foot and relieve symptoms that are associated with that movement. There is not necessarily a need to go out and buy new shoes that are bigger to wear these inserts, unless you have those really tight fitting footwear like the soccer boots…

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Freiberg’s disease or Freiberg’s infarction is a reasonably frequent painful problem of the lesser metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot. It most commonly affects the second joint next to the big toe joint. It typically causes the joint to flatten and collapse like a crushed eggshell would if you hit it with a spoon. It is most common between the ages of 11 to 17 yrs, but can happen at older ages and the consequences of the conditions can persist for many years beyond that age group. The joint behind the…

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A turf toe is a sprain or tear of the joint capsule of the big toe joint which occurs when the joint is overextended. It got its name as it was more common in American Football where it become more prominent with the use of the artificial turfs. It can, however, occur in almost any sport played on any type of surface. All that is needed for the injury to occur is for the joint to become hyperextended (see the diagram below), as this will strain or tears the ligaments…

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The purpose of the shoe stiffening inserts made from a thin rigid carbon fiber plate is to restrict motion in the foot. If flexion of the toes is painful, then these rigid plates restrict movement of the metatarsophalangeal joint to help with those symptoms. When we are walking and the foot is on the ground, in order to move forward we have to lift the heel up off the ground. As the heel comes off the ground the toes stay flat on the ground and the foot bends at the…

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Historically, rigid metal plates were used to stiffen up the shoes to make them more rigid when there was a clinical condition of the foot that making the forefoot more rigid would benefit from this (eg hallux rigidus). The use of steel plates or strips was the most practical then and was adequate to do the job, but working with steel or other metals was not the easiest. In the 1960’s the Union Carbide Corporation in the United States started doing research into high-strength materials and produced the first carbon…

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‘Hallux rigidus‘ is a condition in which the big toe (‘hallux’) is rigid (‘rigidus’) or less flexible than what is normally required for movement at the big toe joint (‘first metatarsophalangeal joint’) when walking. By far the most common cause of hallux rigidus is osteoarthritis of that joint. Osteoarthritis is such a common cause of hallux rigidus that you can often see the two terms, ‘osteoarthritis’ and ‘hallux rigidus’ used interchangeably. The condition is painful because of that limited range of motion in the joint is all used up when…

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The CarbonEaze insoles come with two different forefoot designs: one is the full width of the forefoot and the other only goes under the big toe and is called the Morton’s extension design. Both designs serve to stiffen the forefoot to make it more rigid with a slight difference. The full width design has the effect of stiffening the entire forefoot whereas the Morton’s extension design does allow more movement across the lateral side ball of the foot and mostly affects motion at the big toe (hallux) joint. If the…

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