Monthly Archives: November 2009

Shoe Review – J-41 Grand

Posted on November 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

The reason I don’t blog more about non-athletic shoes is that shoe manufacturers discontinue styles before you would actually be able to go out and buy any shoe I would recommend. Hopefully, this won’t happen with J-41 Grand. This shoe is in the category of Dansko clogs – wide and deep which typically is a hard to fit foot. The strap is Velcro so it’s adjustable, which is a design feature all Mary Jane styles should have. The forefoot is rigid and doesn’t flex which helps with ball of the foot pain (metatarsalgia) or pain under the big toe joint (sesamoiditis).

J-41_Medial

The insole is nicely padded and is removable so that you can fit in a low profile orthotic if you want to.

J-41_Dorsal

All in all, if you are looking for a comfy, cute wide shoe, then J-41 may just be the right for you. And, as of today, you can still get this style at Zappos.com.

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Posted in Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Wide Feet

Shoe Review – New Balance 1123 Excessive Forefoot Wear

Posted on November 11, 2009 | 1 comment

I have reviewed New Balance 1123 in a previous post https://drshoe.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/breast-cancer-3-day-shoe-review-new-balance-1123/.

New_Balance_1123_Medial

This has been one of my favorite shoes for the wide, deep foot. It’s especially good for walkers due to it’s wide base and seemingly firm midsole. Or, so I thought.

Today, someone came in having worn this shoe while walking for the few past months with a recent onset of ball of the foot pain (metatarsalgia). When I turned the shoe over, I was shocked to find that the thin firm, rubber outsole had worn clear through, exposing a butter soft EVA midsole. The midsole was so soft in fact that it provided little in the way of forefoot shock absorption, causing the ball of the foot to be pounded with each step.

NB_1123_Bottom

If you own this shoe, make sure to check the outsole monthly. If it has worn down like this shoe has, replace it immediately or you may do your feet severe harm. Otherwise, I still like this shoe.

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Posted in Foot Pain, Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Wide Feet

Shoe Review – Saucony Progrid Omni 8

Posted on November 9, 2009 | 2 comments

Progrid Omni 8 is a departure from the 7 version in that the 7 had both moderate and ultimate styles depending on how much stability you wanted. The Progrid Omni 8 is closer to the 7 moderate version in medial EVA firmness as shown below.

Progrid_Omni_7_v_8_Medial

The other big difference is sizing. Progrid Omni 8 runs 1/2 size shorter than Progrid Omni 7. Therefore, if you’re used to wearing a size  10 in the Omni 7 then you will want to size up to a 10 1/2 in the Omni 8.  Below is a comparison length between Progrid Omni 8 W and Asics GT-2140, both in women’s size 8. The 2140 is true to size whereas the Omni 8 is not.

Progrid_Omni_8_v_2140

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Posted in Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Shoe Review – Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10

Posted on November 5, 2009 | 8 comments

Thank goodness, Brooks has debuted Adrenaline 10. I count  on Adrenaline to fit the most narrow foot, which is why the Adrenaline 9 was such a disappointment. Prior versions were perfect, but version 9 had changed so much from prior versions that it would no longer fit the narrow foot properly. Here’s my post about it.https://drshoe.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/shoe-review-brooks-adrenaline-gts-8-vs-gts-9/.

Now however, I am happy to report that Adrenaline 10 rises to the level of fit for the narrow foot that all versions prior to 9 had. What a relief. This is a classic case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and Brooks has been restored to their rightful first place in helping runners with narrow feet find a perfectly fitting running shoe.

As an added bonus, the overall look is much more stylish and sleek making this shoe even nicer. Thanks Brooks and thanks JY for bringing these shoes in for me to evaluate.

Adrenaline_10

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Posted in Narrow Feet, Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Fit, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes