ACE Innovations

Holly Bradshaw – Olympic Medallist Pole Vault

Problem:

Holly came to ACE with a history of Achilles tendinopathy and found that training in her spikes was definitely contributing to her heel pain.

Spikes are designed with a negative heel drop which will increase the load on the posterior muscle groups and tendons. Orthotics are very difficult to fit in spikes and with the lack of space we would not be able to reduce the load enough to improve comfort.

Holly needs the increased grip that a spike offers so cannot train and compete in a trainer

Solution:

The solution for Holly was to take a racing flat training shoe with a positive pitch and room inside for an insole and combine it with a spikes plate.

Our technicians were able to remove the spikes plate from the running spikes and splice it on to a pair or racing flat running shoes. This has allowed Holly to train with a huge reduction in discomfort in her Achilles. See her story here:

Freddy Flintoff – Former England Cricket Player

Problem:

When Freddy came to ACE he was suffering with an ankle injury due to the repetitive high forces created from fast bowling. We felt that his current footwear and the way it was designed might be contributing to some of the problems experienced. The issues we observed was that the increased grip of the spike was completely locking the foot to the floor during bowling and when the opposing leg was swingling through the increased grip was not allowing for the foot to rotate, this lead to increased stress at the planted ankle.

Solution:

The solution for Freddy all came down to the design of the sole of the shoe. We needed to make something that gave Freddy the grip he needed on his planted foot so he could generate power but also as his body rotated we would need to allow the foot to rotate reducing stress at the ankle. This lead us to a designing a convex sole that compressed underweight and returned to shape as the weight was reduced. With studs placed at the curve and directly at the top of the convex shaped sole we were able to design a shoes that gave both grip under load and rotation when the body needed it.

Ryan Jones – Former Wales Rugby Captain & Lions Player

Problem:

Ryan came to ACE with a pain in his foot, this pain was much worse when playing rugby and was starting to affect his ability to train and play.

On examination we found that Ryan was suffering with a Morton’s Neuroma, which is a thickening of the inter-metatarsal nerve in the foot. This will often feel like a stabbing or burning sensation and will get worse as the foot is compressed. Ryan has a size 14 wide foot and his boots were too small and too narrow.
 

Solution:

We managed to get Ryan’s boot supplier to provide the stud plate and the upper separately so that we could make Ryan’s boot specifically to his foot shape. With the help of some plaster of Paris and our team of footwear technicians we were able to completely bespoke the fit for Ryan. An insole was also made to help reduce to compressive force on the Neuroma and very soon Ryan was pain free and playing at his best.

Jo Westwood – Wales Hockey

Problems:

Jo came to ACE after having a recurrent heel problem. Jo has a Haglund’s bump which is where the heel bone becomes enlarged where the Achilles tendon attached to it. This lead to repetitive rubbing over the area and frequently left Jo with a skin sores, blister and infection.
 

Solution:

Jo’s Hockey shoes have a reinforced heel counter which probably increases the pressure over the prominent Haglund’s bump. We marked the area on the shoe where the rubbing was occurring and cut a hole completely through the heel. Once we had removed the area in which the foot was rubbing we filled it with soft material  and replaced the internal lining, we then reinforced the heel counter externally, which created a soft pocket and enough space for the bony lump where the rubbing was occurring but also allowed us to protect the rearfoot from impact from a hockey balls.