There was a time when orthopedic shoes were not exactly great looking things to see, or much less, to wear out in public. The original patent for such shoes were large, clunky and always in shoe-shine black. Fortunately, evolutions in the development of light weight materials coupled with more fashionable designs have helped orthopedic shoes enter (and remain popular in) the mainstream.

What are orthopedic shoes?

The earliest forms of orthopedic shoes were designed as corrective measures for people who need may be suffering from all types of foot-related disease, injury or congenital medical conditions. Some of the most common foot problems include: athlete's foot; bacterial infections; bunions, corns and calluses; diabetic related injuries or wounds; dry and cracking heels; flat feet or tired aching feet; hammer toes; ingrown toe nails; Morton's Neuroma; painful heels; thickened toe nails; chilblains; and warts.

The main purpose of orthopedic shoes is to help alleviate discomfort and pain. However, some shoes are tailor-fitted as preventive measures as well. This means that some orthopedic pairs are created so as not to cause (or be the further cause of) any type of feet related injuries. This is particularly helpful to diabetics and to those suffering from chilblains (a medical condition that affects the blood circulation to the lower extremities.)

The rising demand for orthopedic shoes is not due to a rise in the population of people with feet-related discomforts or injuries. Rather, healthy feet are finding their way into a pair of these shoes because of the comfort they provide. Since orthopedic shoes are very much in demand now, there are major shoe companies offering great selections when it comes to design and functionality.

Two of the leading marketers for such types of shoes are: P.W. Minor Orthopedic Shoes and Aetrex Shoes.

P.W. Minor Orthopedic Shoes

P.W. Minor Orthopedic Shoes has one major advantage over its competition. It is the only orthopedic shoe company that offers custom made shoes with mismatched dimensions or sizes. This is especially beneficial to people who may already have mild to severe foot deformities, whether by accident, by congenital reasons, or by disease on one or both feet. Most of their custom made shoes take no more than 6 weeks to be made and delivered to its waiting customer.

And the company is offering shoes for all possible orthopedic functions, like: hiking shoes with oblique toe placements; thermo molded shoes and socks for diabetics; and walking shoes with stretchable uppers, to name a few.

Aetrex Shoes

On the other hand, Aetrex Shoes are more commonly known as athletic or performance shoes. And these may just be the most comfortable orthopedic walking and running shoes in the market today.

If you simply look at a pair, you would not be able to distinguish its difference from all other athletic shoes out there. However, the key to knowing the difference is by wearing a pair and noticing how much support the shoes can give you. Although Aetrex Shoes are not catering to custom-made orders, there are a lot of very trendy designs to choose from. A number of their selections are of course made of polyurethane rubber, but there are now shoe designs in good quality leather.