Fashion-obsessed podiatrist creates genius ‘foot beds’ to make high heels MORE comfortable – so you will NEVER have to wear ‘grandma shoes’ again
- Sydney podiatrist Emily Smith has created an insole for wearing high heels
- She had researched high heel-related pain while at Western Sydney University
- Ms Smith said her breakthrough occurred on her wedding day
- She created the $49.95 Emily Braidwood Medigel insoles for heels and flats
- Science-backed ‘footbeds’ cushion the foot while providing muscle support
A fashion-loving sports podiatrist who spent a decade researching the cause of high heel related foot pain said her wedding day lead to her major breakthrough.
Emily Smith, from Sydney, Australia was in pain after wearing stilettos all day.
She was unable to walk but the aches led her to create an insole to make wearing high heels comfortable.
‘What I worked out was that the ankle stabilising muscles fatigued to the point of failure,’ Ms Smith told FEMAIL.
‘From there I worked backwards and was able to identify that the feet naturally roll outwards rather than inwards when you wear heels.’
Sports podiatrist Emily Smith worked tirelessly for a decade researching the underlying cause of high heel related foot pain
She had a light bulb moment the day after her wedding, when she couldn’t walk from wearing high heels for hours, and figured out the solution to wearing heels comfortably
The Emily Braidwood Medigel insoles are available in both a high heel and flat shoe version for $49.95.
Ms Smith’s interest in high heel-related foot pain began when she was studying at Western Sydney University.
She did her final year thesis on the subject in 2005 but wasn’t able to find any new evidence on how to alleviate the pain caused by high heels.
Ms Smith then started working as a podiatrist in Mosman in Sydney’s northern suburbs and over 10 years saw countless women complaining about aching feet.
She understood their love for the stylish footwear so didn’t want to tell them to ditch the heels altogether for more ergonomic, unfashionable shoes.
‘I was never one to say you need to be in these grandma shoes,’ she said.
‘I would never wear them so I wouldn’t expect my patients to wear them either.
Ms Smith’s research and 2010 wedding led her to create the Emily Braidwood Medigel insoles for high heels and flat shoes.
The science-backed high heel ‘footbeds’ cushion the foot while providing muscle support to stop rolling ankles and burning in the balls of the feet.
Ms Smith’s own high heel obsession drove her to keep looking for a solution for
The fashion-loving podiatrist said that revelation gave traction to her research and led her to create the Emily Braidwood Medigel insoles for high heels and flat shoes.
The science-backed high heel ‘footbeds’ cushion the foot while providing muscle support to stop rolling ankles and burning in the balls of the feet.
The product idea was an unlikely venture for a sports podiatrist but Ms Smith said the science ‘crosses over a lot’.
‘Like with sports injuries, it all came down to the the muscles fatiguing really quickly and burning out,’ she said.
The Emily Braidwood Medigel insoles are available in both a high heel and flat shoe version for $49.95.
You can find them in selected specialist clinics, pharmacies and retailers across New South Wales and online at emilybraidwood.com