Carmel Mythen visited Foot Solutions in Stillorgan Co. Dublin after a few years suffering hip pain and sciatica. ‘I had tried over-the-counter insoles from other shops, but they weren’t really having any effect. The two things I noticed in Foot Solutions were the expertise of the staff and the fact that they could design a solution just for me.’
Carmel went through a full assessment in Foot Solutions. This included an examination, a scan to generate a contour map of her foot and an interview to allow staff fully understand her lifestyle and leisure activities.
‘I’ve always been a keen walker,’ says Carmel. ‘I used to love taking off around Glendalough and Bray Head when I had the time. Unfortunately, I was no longer able to do it due to the pain in my feet and hip.’
Foot Solutions built a customised insole and recommended a suitable pair of shoes. ‘I don’t want to give the impression that I was cured overnight. It was a few weeks wearing the shoes and insoles before I noticed any improvement. Let’s just say things kept improving after that. I walked the women’s marathon last year and now I walk 10km three times a week. It’s also made a big difference in my work life. I’m an accountant and before I went to Foot Solutions, I would have had trouble walking to and from the printer. Now that I’m back exercising in the proper shoes for me, it’s no problem at all.’
Carmel has also noticed an improvement in her state of mind. ‘I found it very frustrating when I couldn’t go out walking. I’m not the type of person to go to the gym and you’d start to worry then about putting on weight. So being able to get out on my favourite walks again is fantastic for me.’
She now gets a selection of shoes from Foot Solutions. ‘Kayt, the lady I deal with in Stillorgan, is great. She keeps an eye on the new ranges as they come in and gives me a call if she sees something I might like. She showed me the Ziera range; they’re a gorgeous shoe with such a good foot bed that I don’t need an insole for support. Kayt also sorted me out with runners, walking boots and sandals to make sure I have the correct support whenever or wherever I want to go for a walk. I had spent a lot of money on specialist runners in another shop, but they did nothing to ease the discomfort.
‘Now that the pain has gone, I can wear a nice pair of dress shoes from anywhere on a night out. That’s fantastic. But to be honest, I find I can get every type of shoe I want in Foot Solutions. It’s where I go for shoes.’
