Page 21 - Fall 2020 CMTA Report

footwear as when choosing your Today, it’s easy to find high-
orthotic devices. Only when this end retailers offering selections of
four-part integrated system is fully adaptive shoes and boots, but the
optimized will you achieve the odds of finding the perfect pair for
maximum benefit from your you are increased by searching:
orthotics. • Online retailers like Zappos and
For AFO-wearers, orthotic ShoeStores.com that offer free
needs come first, but this does not return shipping if a shoe doesn’t
have to mean sacrificing style. work with AFOs
Orthotic-friendly shoes can also • Adaptive footwear sellers that
reflect your individual flair and specialize in corrective footwear
panache if you know what to look like Orthotic Shop, Flow Feet
for and where. While you may not and The Healthy Feet Store
be able to wear stiletto heels or flip • Mainstream retailers like
flops with your AFO, countless Nordstrom, Birkenstock,
fashionable styles are AFO-friendly, L.L. Bean and many more that
and many companies now offer offer odd-sized pairing for little
large selections of “adaptive and or no extra cost and easy-return
attractive” footwear. Below are policies
some key features to look for in • Certified pedorthist facilities,
choosing your favorite style: or “footwear pharmacies,” that
• A removable insole allows for offer custom-crafting services
proper AFO positioning and the along with specialty shoe selec-
use of custom inserts. tions
Tubin’ down the
• A roomy toe-box allows room In addition to searching Stonycreek River
for AFOs and toe crest pads or online and retail outlets, it can be
spacers for those helpful to look
with toe curl. for brands that TUBAPALOOZA 2020
• A firm heel of are known for
adequate height their stylish, RAISES $5,500 FOR CMTA
allows for opti- adaptive lines of
mal AFO shoes and boots, ore than 400 people—socially distanced
function and such as Aetrex, and in pods—drifted down the Stonycreek
increases stability. BeautiFeel, MRiver in Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
• Extra depth Drew, Ecco, September 6, raising $5,500 for the CMTA in
allows room for TheNorthFace, the process.
AFOs and arch Propet, Rock- Jill and Chad Gontkovic, the owners of
supports or port, Waldlaufer Coal Tubin’ Adventures, dedicate a day on the
metatarsal pads and Wolky. river to a different charity every year and this year
to alleviate pain. The bot- the CMTA was the lucky recipient.
• Fully extended tom line is that Jill and Chad play in Development Director
zippers, espe- Some retailers offer needing to wear Jeana Sweeney’s annual softball tournament,
odd-sized pairing for little
cially in boots, or no extra coust AFOs should which was canceled this year because of the pan-
allow for easy not limit how demic. Knowing of Jeana’s passion for creating
insertion/removal of AFOs. we present ourselves to the world. CMT awareness and raising funds for CMT
• Laces or buckles provide more Our choice of shoes should speak research, they chose to champion the CMTA.
secure closures than Velcro to more about our personalities than It’s yet another example of the amazing way
keep AFOs in place. our disabilities. h that events and fundraisers have morphed during
• Stable rocker-bottoms—with a the pandemic, but continue to help the CMTA.
Beth has been an AFO-wearer since 2004
slightly elevated heel and a Many thanks to Coal Tubin’for being a CMTA
and currently leads AllardUSA’s TeamUP
mostly flat sole that curves up movement. She gathered the vendors and champion.
near the toe—facilitate forward brands mentioned here via input from hun-
motion and proper gait dreds of actual brace-wearers, none of whom
mechanics. were compensated for their opinions.

FALL 2020 THE CMTA REPORT 21