How They Work...

The Alznner^® line of foot care products are uniquely designed to position the bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons of the human foot and restore optimal alignment.

Restoring natural anatomical alignment helps normalize overall posture.  Poor alignment and posture can create additional strain on the muscles of the feet, legs, and back which in turn can contribute to foot, knee, hip, back or neck pain.

Developed by foot physiologist Georg Alzner after many years of biomechanical research, the Alznner^® arch support has been so successful in providing relief that it is often imitated, but never duplicated.

Normal foot function is important for two reasons:   

First and foremost is the fact that your feet are the foundation that your body rests on. Even a couch potato will take over a thousand steps a day. For the average person, it’s five to eight thousand per day. Each of those steps will place a force on your foot equal to 1.5 times your body weight while walking. Running will increase that force to 3 times your body weight. It’s easy to see why feet that are not functioning properly will hurt.

Second, when your feet are functioning properly, your center of gravity is positioned over the arch of your foot. Studies have shown that when your center of gravity is in this position, it is easier for the muscles in your legs and back to maintain your balance. With your center of gravity away from the arch your muscles will have to work harder to keep you standing and moving throughout the day. The harder muscles have to work, the more likely it is that you will experience leg, hip, back, or even neck pain at the end of the day. The majority of common back pain has been clinically linked to poor posture and the way your feet strike the ground as you walk. Improved balance is especially important for the elderly, who can more easily lose their balance, which subjects them to a much higher risk of devastating falls. In addition, when your center of gravity is properly positioned, the weight forces on your foot are more likely to be distributed properly.

When the foot does not function normally, several things happen:

	Pressure is placed on parts of the foot not designed to deal with that level of stress. That can create pain, calluses and other foot problems.
	The body is not properly centered over the arch. This causes the muscles of the body to try and compensate for the misalignment. Often, this leads to knee, hip, back and neck pain.

Many products on the market today are designed to correct a single foot problem.  However, Georg Alzner believed that most foot and related problems could be helped if the foot functioned normally.  The goal of his design was to guide the foot into its natural position and support its shock-absorbing arches.

Biomechanical evaluations have shown that arch supports can affect balance, stability, and the distribution of forces on the bottom of the foot in two ways; specifically, they can “…change the motion of the foot, therefore altering ankle, knee and hip joint and upper body movement” and/or “…can change the forces and torques placed on the body by altering their distribution on the plantar (bottom) surface of the foot resulting in a change in the Center of Gravity (CG) of the body.  This is referred to as altering the path of the Center of Pressure (COP) on the bottom of the foot."

Testing of the Alznner^® arch support has proven that the material and design do exactly what its inventor wanted it to do.  More importantly, it shows that they accomplish both of the desirable actions described above and can have a positive affect on balance, stability, and the distribution of forces on the plantar surface of the foot.

Consider the following brief summary of studies:

“Less muscular effort was needed to maintain balance. The reduced muscular effort may provide greater endurance for people while performing dynamic activities."

Department of Exercise and Sport Science
East Carolina University - Biomechanics Lab
 

“The Alznner® [support] can change the motion of the foot, therefore altering ankle, knee and hip joint motion and upper body movement. Reduction of forces on the joints would be consistent with decreases in back and knee pain reported.”

Biomechanics Evaluation Laboratory
Michigan State University – College of Engineering
 

“The Alznner® [support] appears to be an unusual design providing both support and stability with little unwanted secondary effects.”

 
Kendall Orthotics, Inc.
Institutions Supplying Measurement:
California College of Podiatry
 

In 2004, a clinical study of 67 generally healthy older men and women was conducted at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia using the Alznner® arch support. The study showed a statistically significant improvement in scores for balance, functional mobility, and pain reduction in the back and lower extremities excluding the ankle. In addition, 85.1% of participants reported that they benefited from wearing the arch supports.

Department of Graduate Studies
Armstrong Atlantic State University
 

Your feet are the foundation for your entire body, so even minor foot pain should not be viewed as inconsequential. If persistent foot problems can't be helped by a simple change in shoe style, then Alznner^® arch supports may be the answer to your foot problems.

In fact, our arch support may be the best way to prevent foot problems by giving your foot proper support and balance before problems have a chance to develop.

MORE ABOUT RESEARCH STUDIES