This is caused by muscle strain to the Achilles tendon in the heel of the foot.

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1 Foot Facts Our feet were designed to move across uneven earthy surfaces. The hard, inflexible surfaces that we regularly walk on today, such as concrete, tile or wood, leave our feet wanting in terms of arch support. On uneven earthy surfaces our arches could find support often. Alignment in your feet can affect your body, not only causing foot pain, but pain in the knees, ankles and lower back. There are 28 bones in your foot, and all of them work to balance your entire body. When these bones are in alignment you are better able to absorb shock of each step and still maintain proper balance and alignment in the rest of your body. As the foundation of your body, if your feet are not in alignment your entire skeletal structure becomes misaligned. This forces your body to try and compensate for the lack of balance which can lead to fatigue or foot, knee, hip or back pain. Good Feet provides balanced, custom fitted arch supports, that provide comfort, balance and support for all activities. And they provide correction/relief and or improvement of many of the common foot problems. Common Foot Problems Achilles Tendinitis Arhritis Bunions Callusing Flat Foot Hard Corns Soft Corns Hammer Toes High Arch Heel Spurs Morton's Neuroma Pronation Sciatic Nerve Supination Over the counter products assume that one size fits all. We at Good Feet know that this is not true. Overall foot length may be the same, but arch sizes vary due to the variable length of the bones in our feet. For example some of us have long toes, and some of us have short toes, but the same overall foot length. For an arch support to work properly it must fit your arch size. Many of our arch supports come with a life time warranty against flattening and breakage. Also shoes alone can't solve our foot problems. If a shoe has an arch support area, it is low and generalized to accommodate the different arch sizes. At Good Feet we provide standard to extra depth shoes which provide a perfect marriage with our arch supports. The personalized service at Good Feet is a Plus! Achilles Tendinitis This is caused by muscle strain to the Achilles tendon in the heel of the foot. Symptoms of Achilles Tendinitis -Pain when putting pressure on the foot after being active for awhile -Shooting pain or burning sensation in the heel -Pain can also occur above the heel -Inflammation and degeneration of the Achilles Tendon itself -The outer heel of shoes worn -Pain in or above the heel when pushing off or jumping during exercise. -Inability to stand up straight.

2 Possible causes of Achilles Tendinitis -Stiffness of tendons, which become more rigid as you age. -Overpronation -Abrupt changes in shoes or footwear. -Failure to stretch or warm-up before exercise. Arthritis Arthritis is thinning and damage to the cartilage, reducing its ability to provide shock absorbency and reduce friction in the knees, hips, and other weigh-bearing joints. Symptoms of Arthritis-Inflammation and discomfort around joints (e.g. toes, ankles, etc.) -Stiffness and pain when walking or even at rest -Reduced mobility of joints -Loss of movement -Stiffness and swelling in the joints -Snapping of the joints Possible Causes of Arthritis -Natural wear and tear of joints -Overuse or injury through accidents and sports -Poor posture -Degeneration of cartilage Bunions Enlargement of the joint behind the big toe, calcium buildup and inflammation around the joint. Symptoms of Bunions -Pain surrounding the joint -Irritated, sensitive skin surrounding the area -Iritated, sensitive skin surrounding the area -Stiffness and cramping of the big toe -Callus formation on underside of joint at big toe -Recurring pain and swelling of joint -Appearance of joint growing in size Calluses A concentrated thick skin located on the underside of the foot, caused by a combination of collapsed metatarsal arch and foot instability. Creates abnormal weight distribution and wearing of underlying bones. Symptoms of Calluses -Recurring hard, thick skin build-up and pain surrounding the callus.

3 -White/yellowish thick, dry skin in a specific area under front foot. Possible causes of calluses -Walking style ( pronation or supination) -Ill-fitting or worn-out shoes, sole of shoes too soft. -High heeled shoes Flat Foot Flat feet occur when both longitudinal and metatarsal arches have collapsed and are no longer visible, causing the ankle and knee to fall inward. Symptoms of Flat Foot -General foot fatigue -Ankle, knee and lower back pain. -Calluses under big toe/bunions. -Shoulder falls forward/slouching. -More energy required to run or stand for long periods of time. -Inner walls of shoes are stretched and worn. -Foot appears abnormally wide. -Ankle and cuboid bone protruding inward. -No arch is visible Possible causes of Flat Foot -Herdity -Poor quality of shoes ( sole of shoe too soft) -Walking style -Injury -Wearing ill-fitting shoes Hard Corns Heloma durams (hard corns) are hard, circular, thickened areas of skin that form on the tops and tips of the toes and along the sides of the feet. Symptoms of Hard Corns -Painful or inflamed area of skin on tops and sides of toes. -Toes feel too tight within shoes, and rub when walking.. -Hard and circular areas of skin, with a polished or translucent center. -Toes pressing against the top and sides of the shoe at the toe joints. -Toes curling under and pressing against the sole of the shoe. Possible causes of hard corns -Improper fitting shoes -Toe deformities Soft Corns

4 Heloma moles (soft corns) are hard, circular thickened areas of skin that typically form between the fourth and fifth toes when one of the toe bones (phalanges) is slightly too wide. Symptoms of soft corns. -Painful or inflamed area of skin between toes. -Toes feel too tight withn shoes, and rub when walking -Hard and circular areas of skin, with a polished or translucent center. -Toes pressing against each other at the toe joints, causing ulcerations. Possible causes of soft corns. -Toe deformities -Wearing high heeled shoes Hammer Toes A muscle imbalance in the front of the foot causing the toes to contract (toes curl under and point downward). Symptoms of Hammer Toes -Hard skin (corns) develop on top of joints of toes. -Calluses develop on the underside of downward pointing toes. -General front foot fatigue and pain -Toes bunching together -Toes contracting and pointing downward High Arch The longitudinal arch contracts due to muscle, tendon and ligament imbalance, affecting normal weigh distribution. Symptoms of High Arch -Pain in mid-foot (longitudinal arch) -Front foot pain/bunion -Calf muscle/knee/lower back pain -The middle part of the foot makes no contact with the floor. Heel Spur Syndrome (Plantar Fascitis) Pain on the underside of the heel caused by the tendon-like tissue partially pulling away from the heel bone. Over time, a calcium formation develops in the injured area, often taking the shape of af sharp protrusion. Symptoms of Heel Spur Syndrome ( Plantar Fascitis) - Heel pain during first steps in the morning - Heel pain after walking or standing]

5 - Swelling and inflammation under the heel bone - Heel pain experienced immediatlely after sitting - Heel pain after resting on standing feet Possible Causes of Heel Spur Syndrome - Pronation of foot - Poor quality, ill-fitting, worn-out shoes - Flat foot Morton's Neuroma A nerve compressed between two bones in the front foot causing a piercing and disabling pain at the base of the third and fourth toes. This generally afflicts women of middle age wearing tighfitting, high heeled shoes. Symptoms of Morton's Neuroma - Immediate sharp pain in the area while standing or walking - Burning and irritation in the area - Numbness in front foot at the base of the third and fourth toes Signs to Look for - many people claim they are able to relieve the pain by removing the shoe and squeezing or manipulating the front foot toes. Pronation A foot condition causing the ankle to rotate inward, and the heel bone and front foot (big toe) to point outward. Symptoms of Pronation - Calluses developing on underside of big toe - General foot fatigue - Ankle pain - Achilles tendonitis/calf muscle pain - Medial knee pain/lower back pain Signs to Look for - Outer heel of shoes worn Possible Causes of Pronation - Poor fitting shoes - Shoes without a firm base, worn-out - Injury Sciatic Nerve Pain develops when a nerve is compressed in the hip. Generally caused by a body and/or foot imbalance. Symptoms of Sciatic Nerve

6 - Shooting(throbbing) pains extending back (passing the center of the buttocks) traveling downward to the heel of the foot. - Pain extending down the back of the leg after long-term standing or after resting. Supination Supination is an extreme raised arch of the foot, causing the foot and ankle to appear to lean or tip to the outside. Over rotation of the foot can cause instability when walking. Symptoms of Supination - Knee, hip, lower back and neck pain - Ankle instability or roll over - Achilles tendonitis, plantar fascitis and strain on lateral collateral ligaments - One or more spinal vertebrae out of alignment - Calluses along the outer edge of the foot - A bump in the back of your heel - Bunion of the 5th toe (Tailor's bunions) Possible Causes of Supination - High arches or Cavus foot - Inverted lowe extremity (e.g. bow leggedness) - Foot has lost some of its natural shock absorbing quality