Why Airstep?

Many people suffer from sensitive feet, whether from a form of arthritis, or thinning of the foot’s plantar fat pad, or in people who have diabetes, or simply are on their feet for long hours that result in discomfort and pain. Whereas conventional athleisure shoes frequently use simple foam inners, the cushioning properties of those inner liners are proportional to their thinness. There is an added difficulty that even removing existing thin liners will leave little space for better cushioning or a prescription innersole or custom orthotic.

What has been missing from the market is a generous fitting athleisure shoe with extra depth and built-in characteristics that combines the best of medical shoe features with a sporty look, at an affordable price.

The FreeStride™ technology development is the result of over 50 years combined South African expert podiatry knowledge and German orthopaedic master shoemaker experience. The Airstep shoe is built on the resultant FreeStride™ technology.  Last dimensions, shaping and axial alignment are the product of local podiatric research and international orthopaedic principles. In-shoe pressure testing as well as many weeks of prototype wear trialling by adult non-neuropathic volunteers living with diabetes confirmed that the Airstep shoe behaved as designed to reduce plantar shear stress, vertical pressure and promote both venous and arterial blood circulation. The Airstep shoe has a wide range of applications, from meeting the needs of arthritis sufferers with deformed toes who need an extra depth toebox, to diabetes sufferers who have hammer toes due to retracted extensor tendons in the course of motor neuropathy, and to simply being a better choice than a conventional sports shoe. The Airstep shoe promotes blood circulation return from the foot through activation of both the foot and calf muscle venous pumps. 

As such, the Airstep shoe, as a medical device, earned the approval of Telmo LLC, an international research group of podiatrists and scientists who contribute to performance standards in footwear designs. This extra depth Airstep shoe has been registered as a global medical device (the GMDN register) and has received NAPPI coding in South Africa.

Studies in South Africa and elsewhere pointed to the need for the characteristics now evidenced in the Airstep shoe as a result of the FreeStride™ technology on which it is built:

• An in-flare angle of no more than 3 degrees (to counteract in-shoe pressure on 4th and 5th toes in conventional 6-degree lasted shoes).
• Reversed lining – minimal internal raw seam edges protect the skin, particularly skin that can be more fragile in people with diabetes or with arthritis.
• Extra depth shoe to protect vulnerable tops of toes and allow for customisation of the interior of the shoe by podiatrists and orthotists.
• Weight distribution – incorporating a low heel pitch (difference between cushion stack height between the heel and the forefoot).
• Flexible construction – Strobel stitching for added flexibility.
• Forefoot flexion to a minimum of 55 degrees – to enable range of motion at the metatarsophalangeal joints, essential to activating the foot venous pump.
• Calculated toe spring to encourage rolling motion in walking; ankle flexion activates the calf muscle pump, thereby returning blood from the feet to the heart.
• Triple layer removable inners – consisting of an air-blown polyurethane moulded footbed riding on a dual bed of two foam densities – to achieve reduction of shear and pressure forces on the plantar surface of the foot. Callus under the foot is formed by pressure and/or friction, and is a pre-cursor to diabetic foot ulcers.

• Double-walled eyelets to shield the skin on the inside of the shoe.
• Padded tongue for comfort over the bridge, absorbing lace pressure.
• Premium laces.
• Slip resistant rubber outer sole with a phylon midsole for cushioning and torsion control inserts.
• Generous 4E width fitting, possibly narrowed dependant on the number of insole layers placed inside the shoe.
• Proudly made in Cape town.

These features combine to minimise pressure points and friction – key factors in preventing calluses and potential foot ulcers.