RESEARCH
PROVEN RESULTS
GROUNDBREAKING STUDY SHOWS VIONIC SANDALS EFFECTIVELY ALLEVIATE HEEL PAIN*
A recently-released peer-reviewed study likened the effectiveness of Vionic contoured sandals to our best-selling pre-fabricated orthotics in alleviating heel pain, making Vionic the first sandal brand with these scientifi cally proven benefits.
The 150-person study published by PLOS ONE targeted heel pain sufferers averaging over the age of 50. After a trial period of 12 weeks, results showed that respondents wearing the Vionic contoured sandal were 68% more likely to report improvement in symptoms when compared to those wearing flat flip flops. Results also showed that the contoured sandal provided comparable relief to Vionic brand’s best-selling commercial orthotic inserts in alleviating heel pain.
“THESE FINDINGS ARE SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS CAN HAVE CONFIDENCE IN SUPPORTING A PATIENT’S DECISION TO WEAR CONTOURED SANDALS OR IN-SHOE ORTHOSES AS ONE OF THE FIRST AND SIMPLE STRATEGIES TO MANAGE THEIR HEEL PAIN. ”
“Often, patients suffering from chronic heel pain are told that traditional non-supportive sandals are not a suitable option because they can’t accommodate an orthotic insert, which is often prescribed to mitigate the effects of this condition,” says Tom McPoil, professor of physical therapy at Denver’s Regis University. “These findings are significant because healthcare professionals can have confidence in supporting a patient’s deci- sion to wear contoured sandals or in-shoe orthoses as one of the first and simple strategies to manage their heel pain.”
Plantar heel pain is estimated to affect one in ten people over the course of a lifetime, and costs a quarter of a billion dollars to treat annually in the United States alone. APMA statistics on heel pain offer an even higher estimate. This kind of pain is often felt on first step out of bed in the morning or after a long period of sitting, and can be exacerbated by bodily changes like weight gain or chronic strain on the feet.
*Based on a peer-reviewed clinical study partially funded by Vionic on people experiencing moderate, non-traumatic heel pain. Vionic contoured sandals were shown to be comparable in effectiveness to Vionic orthotic inserts.