An orthopedic foot appliance of resilient plastic that has a heel portion, of varying angles, a front section and an intermediate section, said sections and portion being of varying thickness. The front section is longitudinal convex-concave at its top and bottom with a thin forwardly extending convex tip. The intermediate section is longitudinally planar substantially along its top and bottom. The heel portion at the bottom has a rearwardly converging horizontally planar intermediate section and rearwardly converging inner and outer planar heel sections which are inclined upwardly and outwardly thereto. An inner border extends along the top and is curved upwardly and outwardly and is of progressively increasing height from a limited height at the side of the front section to maximum height at the intermediate portion and slopes down and around the heel portion. The outer border is curved upwardly and outwardly of similar progressively increasing height, but starts at the side of the intermediate section and from front to rear is of corresponding less height than the inner border, to meet at the heel section. The intermediate section has formed in its under surface a series of elongated parallel spaced slots defining a series of elongated parallel spaced stress bars, there being air apertures extending between said slots and the upper surface of the intermediate section. The orthopedic foot appliance has formed across the forward and under surface of its front section a series of parallel spaced transverse slots. There are transversely extending adjustment insert wedges of specific design and backing which have a flat under surface and upwardly extending elongated ridges which are snugly and removably nested frictionally in said transverse slots. The wedges have surfaces tapered at angles in the range of 2.degree.-6.degree.. A metatarsal type insert pad has a longitudinal body of specific design with a flat under surface has upstanding elongated ridges which fit snugly and removably nest in said transverse slots. Said body surface is flat transversely and tapers inwardly from front to rear to underlie a portion of the intermediate section.
A comfort sole arranged to be mounted in a shoe extends from the heel portion of the shoe to approximately the arch. The sole has a resilient upward curved portion intermediate the sides thereof in the area of the heel portion to form an air chamber between it and the sole of the shoe. This curved portion is arranged to flex up and down due to lifting and lowering of the person's foot while walking or running to pump air from the air chamber around the foot. The comfort sole has a cross sectional shape including thickened side portions which provide good fit and good support of a person's foot. A portion of the shoe may be recessed under the upward curved portion to increase the size of the air chamber.
Foot supports for use in footwear are molded in polypropylene sheet and include a network of longitudinal and transverse reinforcing ribs integrally molded with the support and extending across an arch-supporting area thereof, the ribs resisting stresses on the support during wear and maintaining the shape of the support without adversely affecting its resilience. The supports can be shaped to an individual's foot by heating in boiling water.
