Total Relief Footwear - Testimonial Of The Month

Total Relief Footwear - Z-Coil Dealer. The Austin, TX answer to foot, leg, and back pain relief.: "'I played football for 18 years and had my knees operated on 3 times during my career. I was on the 1957 Rice Owls Southwestern Conference Championship team and the Philadelphia Eagles 1960 World Championship team. My knees had gotten so painful the last year that I had scheduled total knee replacement on May 3rd of 2004.

After trying a pair of Z-CoiLs from Total Relief Footwear my condition improved enough that I postponed the operation. If my condition continues to improve I will keep my old knees.'

J.D. Smith
Austin, TX"


Austin, TX

It's the BOING! (1999)

It's the BOING!: "It's the 'boing' that gets them. Runners attracted by Nike Shox television ads are hurrying into athletic stores, snatching the new high-tech shoe off the shelves. And some are convinced they can bounce back out.

'They think they are going to jump higher or run faster,' said Mike Whitney, manager of The Athlete's Foot in Denver, which sold out of the Shox running and basketball shoes nearly as soon as it got them on Dec. 6.

Despite the reverberating boing on the TV ads, which feature athletes racing across the screen, there is no spring in the heel.

However, there is a spring in another new running shoe made by Z-Coil in Albuquerque, N.M. Not that it will allow wearers to jump like Michael Jordan or sprint like Marion Jones, either.

While Z-Coil shoes initially were designed for runners, Executive Vice President Andres Gallegos said the company found a larger demand from nurses and postal workers, who are on their feet all day.

David Hershberger, who has been wearing Z-Coil shoes for a year and a half, said the shoes give him energy.

"Your legs don't feel as tired," said the Denver lawyer, a runner who used to compete in marathons. Now, he runs in the morning and the evenings, to keep himself and his dog in shape. "I really notice it on the second run. It's kind of an energy return. I'm able to burn calories without feeling like I've depleted my energy."

Z-Coil's odd design, which involves a thin, tubular heel that widens into a small circular sole, had Hershberger a little leery at first. You look at them and think, `Man, are you going to tip over?' "

But Hershberger said he feels stable on the shoes and has never had an injury.

Both companies say they cannot keep their shoes in stock. Gallegos said Z-Coil has experienced an even bigger surge in business since Nike came out with its ads, especially from people who are interested in having an actual spring in the shoe."


Debra Melani
Scripps Howard News Service

The Your2Feet Team Will Be At The Puyallup Fair

The Puyallup Fair: "Summer's end means it's time for the annual Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup. Among the top-10 largest fairs in North American, the Puyallup Fair draws over 1.3 million visitors during its 17-day run.

Offering rodeos, concerts, rides, food, livestock, flowers, and commercial exhibits, the fair has no end of fun and entertainment.



Commercial Exhibit Hours:
Fridays & Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sundays-Thursdays: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Podiatrist had foot in the door

Podiatrist had foot in the door: "Dec. 15, 2003 - For 12 years, Dr. Michael Esber, a Peoria podiatrist, has been treating patients and running health clinics. Now he is putting his expertise into a retail enterprise.

An orthopedic surgeon who is a friend approached him with the Z-Coil dealer concept, and Esber was hooked.

'He bought the shoe, I looked at it and liked what I saw,' Esber said. 'I wanted to get into business and help more patients.'

In December 2002, after contacting Z-Coil, passing a credit check, finding a prime location and attending a three-day training course, Esber and another friend prepared a business plan and drew on support from Z-Coil headquarters in Albuquerque. Then they opened Dr. Coil Footwear.

Esber provided a personal touch by having his five employees wear medical scrubs as uniforms.

Esber does his own marketing on a local level as many of his customers are referrals from health care providers in the area."

Z Coil Comfort Shoes now open on Telegraph, Dearborn, MI

"Dearborn Mayor Michael Guido (with scissors, left) and other officials recently helped celebrate the grand opening of Z Coil Comfort Shoes, 1314 North Telegraph Road. Guido joins Z Coil Comfort Shoes owner John Thierry (with scissors, right) in marking the store's grand opening. Also on hand are Dearborn Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Larry Stock, ( left) Z Coil employee Bill Swiecki, City Council President Pro Tem Nancy Hubbard, Councilman Gino H. Polidori and Z Coil employee Lori Wyatt."

The Heritage Newspaper
June 2, 2004
Dearborn, MI

News Release - HEALTHY FEET COULD HELP YOU WALK YOUR WAY TO A LONGER LIFE

News Release February 25, 1998, Bethesda, MD - The Foot Health Foundation of America (the Foundation) - the education arm of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) - today issued guidelines for seniors in response to the recent release of two major long-term studies confirming the beneficial effects of regular walking on a person's overall health and well-being.

"Relatively low physical risks coupled with enormous long-term health benefits make walking perhaps the best fitness activity for many seniors," states Marc Lenet, DPM, president of APMA. "When establishing a fitness program, even minor setbacks can be very frustrating. These 'Walking Tips for Seniors' are designed to reduce the risk of often preventable foot and ankle injuries and ailments that could lead to inactivity, and prohibit many seniors from realizing the tremendous benefits of walking," added Lenet.

The first study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, followed 707 nonsmoking retired men, 61 to 81 years of age, who were in the Honolulu Heart Program. The study revealed that regular exercise walking lowered the risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease and - in general - prolonged life. Increasing the walking distance from just one to two miles produced even greater results. The second study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, tracked nearly 16,000 healthy men and women in a national registry of twins for an average of 19 years. Taking brisk half-hour walks just six times a month appeared to cut the risk of death by 44 percent among twins observed, and even occasional exercisers were 30 percent less likely to die than their sedentary twins.

"Now - more than ever - we are urging Americans to get up and go. These tips should serve as a great starting point, from choosing a proper walking sneaker to knowing where and when to walk," commented Dr. Lenet. "To ensure a successful and safe walking program, seniors should also consult their primary care and/or podiatric physician - especially if they have a family history of heart disease, poor circulation or diabetes, or if they have any pre-existing foot conditions."

(To read full article, click on title)

Your2Feet Exclusive: The Candace Barroga Story

:

"From the very first day I wore the Z-CoiLs, I immediately felt relief. For thirty years, I have worked in heels and dress shoes, and have suffered pain in my feet. I couldn't even walk for exercise because my feet hurt too much after working all day without support. Now there is comfort wearing my Z-CoiLs. I am up to 2 miles and walking without pain."

Candace Barroga, NorthStar Bank, Fremont

Big brand shoes get a run for their money

Big brand shoes get a run for their money

Z-CoiL breaking new ground with its pain-free footwear

By Dan Thanh Dang
Sun Staff
Copyright © 2004, The Baltimore Sun
July 31, 2004

If Al Gallegos has his way, every man, woman and child will one day walk with a spring in their steps and a satisfied smile on their faces.

The spring will come attached to the heel of a strange, space age-looking shoe Gallegos wants to sell you. And the smile, well, that will come once you put on the shoe, says the 73-year-old inventor of the Z-CoiL line of pain-relief footwear.

Z-CoiLs first hit the shelves four years ago in New Mexico, and since then, the shoes have become something of a cult item. They're sold only through authorized dealers and are targeted toward people with painful leg, foot and back problems. About 350,000 pairs of the shoes have been sold to date, a relative drop in the footwear market.

So worry not, Reebok and Nike. At least for now.

But at last count, there were 227 Z-CoiL dealers in 39 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada, and the company's goal is to open 1,000 stores. The shoes have been featured in major publications, studied by two research laboratories and recommended by the Arthritis Foundation's magazine.

"It's a dream come true after such a long time and so much work," says Gallegos, who flew in from Albuquerque this week to attend the grand opening of the Coil Heaven store in Laurel today. "We knew our product was good, but we didn't think people would cotton to it the way that they have. When I visit these stores, people hug me up and tell me what a huge difference my shoes have made in their lives. I'm constantly surprised when I'm traveling around and I see people wearing them.

"I just want to get a shoe on the next person and make them feel good," says Gallegos, a distance runner who claims to sprint a 5 1/2 -minute mile in his Z-CoiLs.

Gallegos, ever the dreamer, is also working with Sandia labs to develop a Z-CoiL that can harvest the energy from the spring action to heat your boots, run lights or maybe even power a cell phone as you hike up the side of a mountain.

(Click on Title to read more)

History: Spring suspension Orthotic Shoes for Pain Relief

History%2C Z-Coil Shoes- Spring suspension Orthotic Shoes for Pain Relief Alvaro Gallegos is up and running before the sun rises in Santa Fe. He is a dynamo who raised eight children single-handedly after his wife died, a former fighter pilot, a businessman who has owned restaurants and department stores, dabbling in real estate along the way. Now at 65, he is an inventor whose unusual Z-Coil Recoil running shoes are found on the feet of New Mexico's governor, marathon runners and people with bad backs and knees.

One look at his bright yellow, electric blue, orange and white shoes will probably make you laugh, or at least chuckle. Heavy-duty metal springs sit where the heel should be, giving the impression one is riding on shock absorbers. In fact, that is exactly the idea. The Recoil shoe is meant to lessen the impact every time a runner's foot slams into the ground with the force of three to three-and-a -half times his or her body weight. That pounding and its effect on the heels, knees and back were what got Gallegos thinking. Always an athletic type, he took up running just as he was about to turn 40. Pleasure soon turned into competitiveness. But after 20 years of nearly daily six-mile runs, his body began to talk back, sometimes in a nasty tone. "I thought to myself, "There should be a shoe around somewhere to kill all that impact" I thought, "Wouldn't it be neat if I had a spring in my shoe that would propel me forward and once I got up to speed I could just keep going and going."

But it was a brother's challenge that really got him going. As his brothers bragged about their Nikes and Reeboks, Gallegos shot back that he could make a better shoe. "My brother said, "if you're so smart, why don't you do it?" Every time I ran I could hear his voice."

Finding someone to make the special springs took almost a year. Then he spent $1,000 for 300 springs, betting he could come up with a workable shoe. The neighborhood butcher was his first spring manufacturer, Gallegos quips. He used band and crosscut saws to slice through running -shoes soles so the springs could be attached. Soon Gallegos had his own band saw, cutting soles and inserting springs to create by hand more that 100 pairs of prototypes.

Now he has a Korean manufacturer who also distributes the shoes throughout Southeast Asia. His advertising is primarily by word of mouth and the stare of strangers."
(Click on title for full story)

KING5.com: Springy shoes relieve pain

KING5.com: HealthLink: "A funny looking shoe called Z-Coils are helping some people with chronic foot, knee or back pain.

"They're comfortable. Good Year tread on the bottom, plus, they're springing," said customer Ron Mills.

Instead of the usual heel, each shoe has a steel spring. Style is secondary to relieving foot, knee and back pain.

"It has a built in orthopedic in the shoe to stabilize your foot and then that coil absorbs 50 percent impact and 40 percent energy return," said Gary Contreras of Healthfoot, Inc.

The shoe fits for podiatrist Donald Green, who tested it out himself and now prescribes Z-Coil for his patients.

"I've put a couple of patients in them ... and it really takes the pressure off their backs," he said.

The coils come in four strengths and can be adjusted.

After five months of wear, Donna has just one complaint.

"Everyone notices them. I never look at people's shoes," she said.

All Ron knows is that they've put a spring in his step."


HealthLink
February 19, 2004

Albuquerque Tribune Online: Heel and woe

Albuquerque Tribune Online: "(March 2004)The shoe with a spring has been stamped unacceptable by the U.S. Postal Service.

Z-Coil - the Albuquerque company that makes athletic and work shoes with a spring in the heel - is at odds with the Postal Service, which banned its employees from wearing the shoes to work.

The Postal Service evaluated the shoe last year and says the heel is too high and there is a risk of slipping. It says it won't reconsider the decision despite complaints from Z-Coil.

"Based on the height of the heel and the way it's constructed, and their (Z-Coil's) own literature that says it can cause a slipping hazard, it was deemed unacceptable," said Cesta Ayers, a Postal Service spokesman in Dallas.

Not so, Z-Coil says.

"We have no idea how this even came up," said Diana Freid, a Z-Coil spokeswoman. "They took it very seriously. Meanwhile, these postal workers are going nuts."

(Click title to read full article)


By Dan Mayfield
Tribune Reporter

If you are a postal worker that has been affected by this decision, we would like to hear from you. Please add a comment to this entry.

Get Square with Your Feet

Get Square with Your FeetFeet are the whipping boys of the body. With every mile we walk, 200,000 to 300,000 pounds of stress bears down on our tootsies, and by the time we’re 50, most of us have walked 75,000 miles. That’s a lot of action for two narrow islands of 26 bones and more than 30 joints. And yet despite the central role feet play in our lives, most of us ignore them.

Experts say orthopaedic disorders, including foot problems, are a leading cause of inactivity and disability in the United States. “Feet degenerate like tires on cars,” says Washington, D.C.-based podiatrist Arnold Ravick, a spokesperson for the American Podiatric Association. “Just like the rest of our body, our feet spread out, muscles weaken and skin thins.”

We begin to lose flexibility and elasticity, and our shock absorbers simply don’t work as well as they used to. Add arthritis, and you have a double whammy. Joints inflamed and distorted by arthritis find no comfort from a day’s pounding in ill-fitting shoes or from feet whose padding has grown thin.

If we pay attention to our feet, we can head off potential problems. If we already have arthritis, more surveillance and care taking of our feet and joints not only makes sense, it’s crucial.


by Dorothy Foltz-Gray
Arthritis Today

washingtonpost.com: Spring Forward

Spring Forward washingtonpost.comWhat's New: That new spring in the step of some nurses at the Prince George's Hospital Center comes from their Z-Coils -- a quirky line of footwear that recently made its Washington area debut. Part running shoe, part pogo stick, the shoes have an exposed steel coil at the heel to reduce foot impact. "I love 'em," said nurse administrator Deborah Brackens, one of several staffers who sprung for the clog model after a sales demo. "It's like the difference between walking on concrete all day versus walking on a gym floor."

The Bounce Al Gallegos, who designed the Z-Coil prototype, admits the shoes aren't pretty but insists the extra cushioning helps prevent problems like plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, and extra padding at the toe box protects the metatarsal bones from fractures caused by normal wear and tear. The Arthritis Foundation lists one Z-Coil model among its favorite walking shoes, calling it "a good choice for people who have heel pain."

Z-CoiL Testimonial of the Month: August

Z-CoiL Testimonial of the Month: AugustZ-CoiL Testimonial of the Month: August: "As a practicing physician for the last 27 years, you could say that I am one who "stands on her own two feet." Literally, though, I have been standing on my feet for much longer, first as a medical student, then as an intern and a resident, and after 11 long years of medical education, my feet have continued to stand firm at the bedside of my patients. I entered my residency with a shoe size 9, and I finished my training with a hefty size 10. Endless hours on call, all of them mostly standing, finally led to a fallen arch. Now, in my mature years, I have become a wiser, more experienced physician - with painful feet. My left foot has post-traumatic arthritis, and I feel a deep, piercing pain in my right heel from plantar fasciitis.

One weekend about three months ago, I limped into a medical meeting in Houston in my most expensive European shoes, outfitted with a heel pad and an insert, both of which had become of little value towards alleviating my pain. As I dragged myself past the booths displaying various technological exhibits, I noticed a booth with some funny-looking shoes, and an even funnier name: "Cra-Z-CoiL." To my surprise, I saw a number of physicians lined up in front of the booth waiting to try on those shoes. I decided to join the line, hoping the wait wouldn't be too long, since standing was becoming increasingly unbearable. When my turn came, I chose a pair of black sneakers. I stepped into them and I began to walk, and I walked, and walked, and walked, like a toddler fascinated with her first steps. I told my husband, "Please pay the lady and ask her to pack up my Mephistos; I am not getting out of these shoes!" And I haven't. The next day I bought my second pair, the black clogs, and I have not used any of my (many) other pairs of shoes since. "

Click on the title to read more!

Comfortable shoes put a spring in her arthritic - and formerly painful - steps - 07/07/04

Comfortable shoes put a spring in her arthritic - and formerly painful - steps - 07/07/04: "Cathy Zinser walks miles every day. For 25 years she’s worked at Mount Clemens General Hospital as a Central Services assistant delivering medical equipment and supplies from one end of the building to the other.

No surprise that at age 55 she often ends up with sore feet and aching legs. “I get in a lot of pain,” Zinser says. “I have scleroderma (a chronic autoimmune disease) in my right leg and six slightly ruptured discs that are fully arthritic.”

That sent Cathy Zinser in search of a comfortable shoe that would help relieve her constant pain. What she found aren’t the most attractive shoes in the world, but she says they’re the most comfortable. “They’ve almost eliminated the pain,” Zinser says. “Some days I’m not even in pain.”

The shoes are called Z-Coil (www.zcoil.com). They’re shoes on a spring. (Think Tigger. Boing ... boing ... boing.) A large coil under each heel decreases the impact of each step. They aren’t cheap; they start around $139. And be warned: They come with stares and glares. These are the kind of shoes that start conversations. But Zinser doesn’t mind the looks. She relishes the comfort. “My feet always throbbed and hurt at the end of the day, and they don’t any more,” she says.

Wearers of an unusual shoe swear it cuts foot, ankle, knee and back pain

Wearers of an unusual shoe swear it cuts foot, ankle, knee and back pain: "When Steve and Janice Dallas took the 2 1/2-hour drive from their home in Canton, Ohio, to Pittsburgh recently, they didn't come to watch the Pirates or visit one of the city's many museums.

They drove here to buy shoes.

Not just any pair, but Z-CoiLs.

'We've had stories of people who've traveled anywhere from two to eight hours to find a location because of how Z-CoiLs have helped people,' says Pamela Rachel Trhlik, communications manager for Z-CoiL Pain Relief Footwear of Albuquerque, N.M.
The shoes with a steel spring mounted on the heel definitely cause heads to turn. They don't make much of a fashion statement; the appeal is their ability to eliminate pain, advocates said.
'I felt immediate relief when I tried on my first pair,' said Stephenie Cready, 35, a hospice nurse from Eighty Four who has plantar fasciitis, a swelling of the thin layer of tissue that supports the arch of the foot. 'It feels like I have pillows on my feet.'"

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By Carole Reinert-Lucas
Post Gazette

Z-CoiL Testimonial of the Month

As a practicing physician for the last 27 years, you could say that I am one who "stands on her own two feet." Literally, though, I have been standing on my feet for much longer, first as a medical student, then as an intern and a resident, and after 11 long years of medical education, my feet have continued to stand firm at the bedside of my patients. I entered my residency with a shoe size 9, and I finished my training with a hefty size 10. Endless hours on call, all of them mostly standing, finally led to a fallen arch. Now, in my mature years, I have become a wiser, more experienced physician - with painful feet. My left foot has post-traumatic arthritis, and I feel a deep, piercing pain in my right heel from plantar fasciitis.

One weekend about three months ago, I limped into a medical meeting in Houston in my most expensive European shoes, outfitted with a heel pad and an insert, both of which had become of little value towards alleviating my pain. As I dragged myself past the booths displaying various technological exhibits, I noticed a booth with some funny-looking shoes, and an even funnier name: "Cra-Z-CoiL." To my surprise, I saw a number of physicians lined up in front of the booth waiting to try on those shoes. I decided to join the line, hoping the wait wouldn't be too long, since standing was becoming increasingly unbearable. When my turn came, I chose a pair of black sneakers. I stepped into them and I began to walk, and I walked, and walked, and walked, like a toddler fascinated with her first steps. I told my husband, "Please pay the lady and ask her to pack up my Mephistos; I am not getting out of these shoes!" And I haven't. The next day I bought my second pair, the black clogs, and I have not used any of my (many) other pairs of shoes since.
(Click Title to read more)

The Running Network: Forum: Zcoil shoes

The Running Network: "Message:
Has anyone used these shoes? I bought a pair because I stand most of my 12 hour shift and think they are incredible. I was wondering if anyone has used them for running.

Robert Hoover
10/29/2001

There is not enough paper for me to explain how fantastic these z coil shoes and boots are! I am diebetic, and have a sevier case of neropathy, I was allmost to the point 0f getting a electric chair untill I discovered Zcoil!! Now I can walk up to 3 Miles with out a break! It is amazing that nobody know hown wonderfull these are!!
Thanks to Z coil Bob Swartz

Robert W Swartz
3/19/2004

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