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Dr Brenden’s top school shoe picks for 2014.
Back to school has hit us again, it’s time for kids to head back into the class rooms and not only hit the books but also hit the school yard in their new school shoes!
Kids spend over 30 hours a week in their school shoes and while most of us think of them simply as a school shoe they also, at school, may become a netball shoe, a handball shoe, a soccer boot, a cricket shoe or even a get chased by a bully shoe!! Needless to say it’s essential that these shoes are tough and sturdy to undertake all this work.
As a parent of two kids myself I understand while we all like to make sure we get the best for our kids we also have to think about the money that its cost to send our kids to school and it all adds up. Many parents hope to get a full year out of a pair of shoes for their child so that’s approximately 40+ weeks of school for most kids. Considering a 40 week year for most shoes we have split up the cost to consider how much that school shoe is costing us each week for our kids. So you can get shoes from as little as 75 cents a week up to worth 3.20 a week more expensive but I believe still a reasonable price to pay for keeping your kids healthy and active!
I have reviewed what I think are some of the school shoe picks of 2014. Some are more expensive and others I have looked at with those on a budget in mind. In essence you get what you pay for but we were pleasantly surprised with one or two of the cheaper models.
I have reviews both traditional school shoes and my favourite runner or sneaker style shoe in all black leather so people get an option as I know a lot of kids love these as well.
I have listed these from my favourite down however the bottom shoes are by no means terrible and in fact are in many respects good shoes.
BEST NEWCOMER!
Start-Rite York
- · School-style shoe
- · Unisex
- · Firm heel counter
- · Bends at the toe
- · Doesn’t twist
- · Doesn’t flex at the middle
- · All leather
- · Black lace-up
· Priced at $129.00 about $3.20 a week
Brenden Says: This is a relative new comer to my list I have not reviewed this shoe before and I have been really impressed with its appearance on the market! All the qualities I look for in a shoe and to me looks like a tough all-round school shoe!
BEST OF THE BEST – Brenden’s top 4!
ASCENT – SCHOLAR and APEX 
- · Firm heel counter
- · Runner style sole
- · All leather shoe
- · Removable insole for orthotics
- · Bends at toe
- · Doesn’t twist
- · Female / youth
- · Available in 4 widths
From $109.95 (junior size) to $129.95 (adult size) Kids sizes about $2.75 a week
Brenden Says: I have been watching these shoe’s develop and I really feel they are great shoe’s I think Ascent as a brand are developing some excellent quality shoes. Yes I know I am cheating here that this is in fact two shoes but I like these equally and believe they both deserve a mention. I like the School shoe look but the almost sneaker style shoe base. Bends at the toes in all the right places but is strong in the middle and heel where it is needed.
Start-Rite York
- · School-style shoe
- · Unisex
- · Firm heel counter
- · Bends at the toe
- · Doesn’t twist
- · Doesn’t flex at the middle
- · All leather
- · Black lace-up
· Priced at $129.00 about $3.20 a week
Brenden Says: Yes the newcomer makes the top 4! As I said above I think this is a relative new comer has all the qualities I look for in a shoe and to me looks like a tough all-round school shoe! Firm heel counter and solid shank to support kids feet!
CLARKS – 24 SE7EN
- Firm heel counter
- Runner style sole
- All leather shoe
- Removable insole for orthotics
- Bends at toe
- Doesn’t twist
Priced at $124.95 about $3 a week
Brenden Says: A good shoe that has been doing a good job for kids for a number of years. I think kids will like this shoe it has a chunky see through sole that kids seem to love. It has a firm heel counter that is essential to good footwear. Bends and flex’s in the right spots!
Asics Gel-510TR G
- Firm heel counter
- Bends at the toe
- Doesn’t twist
- Doesn’t flex at the middle
- Running style
- All leather
- Black lace-up
· Price point is RRP of $100 about $2.50 a week
Brenden Says: As a sneaker based shoe this is by far my favourite. I recommend it to any parent looking for a sneaker style school shoe. Its leather based with all the properties of a good quality running shoe. In my experience it seems to last a school year really well which I have noted not all sneaker style running shoes do. A winner for me.
ON A BUDGET. –
GRO-SHU – LEARN
- Firm heel counter
- Removable insole for orthotics
- Bends at toe
- Doesn’t twist
- Leather lined
$39.99 @ Payless Shoes about $1.00 a week!
Brenden Says: This is a good shoe for its price point. While it doesn’t have all the stability I like to see in a school shoe for those on a tight budget at 39.99 I think it out weights others in its class. No you are not getting all the features of the top 4
GROSBY DURABLES – SCHOOL
- Firm heel counter
- Removable insole for orthotics
- Bends at toe
- Doesn’t twist
- Leather upper
$30.00 Big W about 75 cents a week!!!!
Brenden Says: At this tiny price you can afford a few of these a year compared to some of its more heavily priced competitors. In kids small sizes this is a good shoe. It’s not the strongest and it may not last as long as some of the others but at that price you wouldn’t expect it to. As this shoe get bigger in size it loses some of the stability I prefer in the more expensive models but as a Jnr shoe on a budget it’s a good alternative.
Tips when choosing shoes:
- Thumb width’s room between the end of the shoe and the end of the longest to
- The fastening mechanism (lace-up, Velcro or buckle are best!) should hold the heel firmly in the back of the shoe
- The back part of the shoe ‘heel counter’ should be strong and stable
- The shoe should flex across the ball of the foot (not in the middle!)
- The sole should not twist!
Blog, Western Weekender
Several years ago A Step Ahead Foot and Ankle care decided that to have more control of our patients outcomes we needed to make our own orthoses in house. Patients and often their referring doctors often don’t realise that many podiatrists in fact do not make their own custom made orthoses. While they can prepare a script they have trouble really making a device that is perfectly matched to the foot.
In our last article we described how orthoses should be prescribed. As you will see the process is fairly complex and requires a number of measurements using some specialised equipment and a great deal of clinical expertise. The junior podiatrists at A Step Ahead Foot and Ankle care who have already completed a university degree and 1000 clinical hours still are observed and work with one of our senior podiatrists for the first two years after graduation to make sure they have a strong knowledge base behind them when designing an orthoses for a patient.
Once a 3 dimensional scan and measurements are taken of both your feet, it’s time for our Podiatrist to design the orthotics. Designing each orthoses is done using Cad-Cam software and specific to each person, each person’s individual design takes approximately 15 minutes ensuring a complete match to your foot.
From here the design is sent to A Step Ahead Foot and Ankle care’s CNC mill for cutting on average this takes about 20minutes for each of the orthoses shell. As mentioned before, each orthotic is individual and subsequently there can be as little as 1 mm differences in measurements in the orthoses so ensuring we get the milling right is very important. 
After the mill has finished its very precise job, the orthoses edges need grinding so they fit comfortably into a shoe. At this time we will add covers to enhance the comfort of the device and small additions which will tweak the way you walk, such as metatarsal domes and rocker bars and possibly even more cushioning! We will also look at any further adjustments needed to change the postural position of your feet and legs. This can all add up and takes about an hour’s worth of time per pair to finish.
As you can see making a custom made orthoses can really take some time they are very complex devices with a real “handmade” component to each of them. Each device is designed to meet each patient’s specific health needs. So when people rightly ask “How come your orthotics cost …….” You can tell them because my orthoses are handmade just for me!
Blog, Western Weekender
So you have been told by your podiatrist that you need custom made orthoses…
Now we would assume these are to be made specifically for you, from a set of measurements taken from your feet and legs. Your Podiatrist will also have taken a video of your walking and or running pattern. They will have watched how you stand walk run and tested muscles and joints. Your Podiatrist will have also taken a cast or better still a 3 dimensional scan of both your feet – to be truly custom made this is essential! If your podiatrist or other practitioner has NOT done these things then frankly I would question if you were truly getting a custom made or true prescription orthotics!
These are all the things we do for our patients at A Step Ahead foot and ankle care. (Note NOT an outline and NOT a 2 dimensional or force plate measurement – you CANNOT make truly custom made orthoses from this)
Orthotics are costly, they are in the same ball park as prescription glasses and at times the same price as some mouth plates Dentists use to correct small alignments for your teeth. Thankfully NOT as expensive as braces though! I would suggest that they are this expensive because, if they are truly prescription custom made orthotics, the time that it takes to make a pair is reasonably extensive. Add to this the cost of your practitioner’s time taking the measurements then preparing the prescription and then finally check-ups fittings and etc and it will quietly add up. We have noted a few podiatrist tell people the cost of the device only. For example “orthotics cost $400” but be warned it is a good idea to ask about associated the cost of appointments.
How about check-ups? You know your feet are ok on the first check, but 4 months later your orthoses don’t feel right. We always give free check-ups for our patients for the life of your device – if its 2 years then so be it! We don’t believe you should have to pay for a check-up of your device if there is a problem. If your friend a relative or any type of patient of ours says they are not comfortable or not happy PLEASE send them back to our clinic – it’s free and we are ALWAYS happy to see them!! It’s included in the cost of the devices and appointments whenever we fit you with orthoses at A Step Ahead Foot and Ankle Care.
We guarantee our devices – if they flatten out, warp, the covers fall off or somehow otherwise your orthoses die an untimely death in the first 12 months we will replace your orthoses! Now you’d think this is common sense BUT if your dog eats them (don’t laugh has happened numerous times) that’s your responsibility, we will always be reasonable and we hope our patients are as well.
So there is much more than just a custom orthoses that’s in your shoe… it’s a long process of getting this very specialised device right. As we have discovered they are very specialised devices made from very specific measurements. What we have not spoken about is the very detailed equipment which makes up the mill that manufactures the devices and how that works. That I thought we would speak about next time.
Blog, Western Weekender
Mary decided to visit us at A Step Ahead Foot + Ankle Care because after starting walking in an effort to lose weight and get fit again, she was getting quite a lot of pain in her right foot. Mary explained that she’d been walking for about 3 weeks, 3 to 4 times a week for about an hour at a time.
Mary is a 49 year old mum of three children she leads a busy life; she works full-time, still runs the family home, volunteers at her husband’s footy club and is trying to get fit!
Mary noticed that she started to get a little bit of pain after each of her walks but put it down to just ‘getting used to walking’. After another week she noticed the pain became more intense and noticed it started very quickly after she began to walk. The week following she noticed the pain began to increase over time it went from hurting when on her walks to eventually hurting when she was not walking at all and all through the day. Mary swears she also has noticed that the arch of her right foot was falling.
After taking a detailed history we began to palpate (push and prod in non-doctor talk) around Mary’s ankle to find the area under the inside of her ankle bone (Her medial malleolus in doctor talk) was very swollen and painful to touch. Using our specialised digital video walk and run analysis equipment we discover that Mary had quite rolled in (over pronated) feet and she was correct, her right foot was more rolled in than her left. We sent Mary off to a radiologist with a referral for an ultrasound to confirm our suspicion that Mary was suffering Posterior Tibialis tendon Dysfunction. She returned that afternoon with exactly that!
Custom made orthoses from a 3d model of your foot
Having confirmed our diagnosis, we began looking after Mary with the best quality care available. Firstly before leaving we strapped Mary’s foot to take pressure off the overused tendon, we ordered her a specialised brace for the short term again an immediate relief in pain and after a discussion we also prescribed a pair of custom made orthoses. These will stop the overuse of the tendon by reducing the excessive pronation.
Mary’s results have shown that unlike some people who wait too long, Mary came in quickly and has avoided the need for surgery, which can be necessary if this is left too long and not caught quickly. Her orthotics were manufactured in A Step Ahead’s own orthoses laboratory using our custom made milling system and hand finished by our technicians. After a fitting and wearing her orthoses for several weeks we also began a series soft tissue therapy sessions with our team to help rehabilitate the damaged muscle.
New 3d scanners create perfect models of your foot
The good news – Mary’s ankle and foot is now back to normal and she has started back to walking slowly! After we designed a ‘return to exercise’ program for her to follow, she has reduced the chance of re-injuring her foot. Rehab took quite some time but was made easier by Mary’s compliance and her willingness to work hard at getting better.
Its always rewarding for our team to meet people like this who are striving to get back to health!
Dr Brenden’s White paper report on the “6 Reasons You Won’t Beat Heal Pain” outlines what’s stopping you from beating this and tips on how to stop it in its tracks!