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Sunday, January 23, 2011

Comfortable Women's Shoe - The Alegria.



THE ALEGRIA CLASSIC




THE ALEGRIA PALOMA


The Alegria shoe is amazingly comfortable!


Both shoes feature a wonderfully supportive and rigid sole that has a  cushioned insole and decent arch support. The wide toebox  allows for a roomy, comfortable forefoot area that takes pressure off of bunions, hammertoes and painful corns. This shoe is exceptional for any patients who have osteoarthritis of the forefoot or midfoot areas as well as any patients who deal with any type of chronic low grade pain in their feet. 


Of the two shoes, the superior shoe is the Alegria Classic because it has better rearfoot control which allows for more biomechanical control and therefore should provide more comfort and protection. 


This is one of the rare occasions that I can recommend a shoe that lacks true rearfoot control and the reason is that the Alegria Paloma's strapping controls the forefoot, midfoot and the sub-talar joint which is the joint which translates the forces from the leg into the foot during gait. The Alegria Classic is superior because it controls the forefoot, midfoot, sub-talar joint and the motion of the calcaneus (rearfoot).


I have some patients who prefer the Alegria Paloma because it is easier to slip on and off, they claim they have "claustrophobic feet" and prefer not to wear enclosed shoes or they have a prominent bump on the back of their heel making it painful to wear shoes with an enclosed back. 


The Alegria Classic is Recommended for Patients with:
*Heel Pain
*Mild to Moderate Bunions 
*Mild to Moderate Hammertoes
*Morton's Neuroma
*Metatarsalgia
*Tailor's Bunions
*Corns and Calluses
*Fibromyalgia
*Rhumatoid Arthritis
*Osteoarthritis
*Hallux Limitus/Rigidus (Limited range of motion of the 1st toe joint)
*Midfoot Pain
*Tendonitis
*Knee, Hip and Lower Back Pain
*Hypermobility


The Alegria Paloma is recommended for Patients with:
*"Claustrophobic feet" 
*Patients who have trouble bending to put on shoes and need a slide-on shoe
*Moderate to Severe Haglaund's Deformity (Bump on the back of the heel)


The Alegria Classic and Paloma are NOT Recommended for Patients with:
*Achilles Tendonitis (these patients still need a thick and rigid sole shoe but the back of the shoe needs to be higher than the front to slightly elevate the rearfoot to decrease tension on the Achilles tendon).
*Neuropathic Diabetics (these patients need Extra-Depth Shoes with Accommodative Orthotics)
*Diabetic Patients with history of Ulcers
*Charcot Foot (these patients typically need custom-molded shoes with Accommodative Orthotics)
*Patients who need to wear an Ankle-Foot Orthosis (they need an extra depth walking shoe).


Rating: 9 (On a scale of one to ten with ten being the best). 


Cost: $109




Overall an excellent shoe! 




Have a great day!
Dr. Cathleen A. McCarthy









8 comments:

Womens Shoes Wholesalers said...

I don`t speak on many sites that I come across but I felt I couldn’t pass up the opportunity with this one. Excellent post. I can only imagine what you will be writing in the future.

Love it! Keep the Good Work.

Thanks.

Doctor of Podiatry Discusses and Recommends Shoes. said...

Thank you so much! I must admit - it is a labor of love. Thank you for reading and for taking the time to comment.
Have a great day!
Cathy McCarthy

Anonymous said...

Both of my ankles were fused last year due to early osteoarthritis, and I have osteoarthritis developing rapidly in my left mid-foot. I bought a pair of Alegri based on your recommendation and they are terribly painful to wear. The rocker sole doesn't facilitate transition through the mid-foot; just like MTBs (which are even worse for people with my condition), they require the wearer to exert more rather than less force with every step. The shoes are like wearing boats. My experience (and the advice of my podiatrist) indicates that the best shoes for fused ankles are laced dressage boots with a small heel (about 2-3 cm) and a shank. I can walk several km in these almost normally and without much pain. In the Alegria, I manage to waddle about 300 m. Dreadful. Definitely for those with healthy feet.

Doctor of Podiatry Discusses and Recommends Shoes. said...

Hi Anonymous,
Sorry they didn't work for you! I like your Pod's advice on the shoe/boot for you and think he or she is exactly right. I always tell my patients that no matter what I recommend, the 'acid test' is how it feels on your feet!
Thank you for your input!
It helps me to learn more when I hear feedback from patient's real world experiences such as yourself...
Cathy
:)

Doctor of Podiatry Discusses and Recommends Shoes. said...

Hi Arsalan,
Thank you for the kind words and thank you for reading!
Cathy
:)

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to mention that you reversed the names and photos of these shoes -- the Paloma is the closed back shoe that you recommend, the Classic is the clog -- rather than the opposite.

Doctor of Podiatry Discusses and Recommends Shoes. said...

Thank you! I will correct that...
:)

Unknown said...

This post is confusing because in actuality the Paloma is the "mary jane" shoe with a strap and a closed back. The classic is the slip on.