Insoles for Her

I have seen the ads for quite a while now. Many of the magazines to which I subscribe have had full-page ads about the line of Spenco insoles made for women. In 2006, it was Spenco for Her and as the ad went, offered “cushioning and total support with Q Factor Technology”. Now, a year later, Spenco has come out with the Total Support insole. The Spenco For Her Total Support is a technical replacement insole featuring the Q Factor Technology, which provides targeted support and guides a woman’s foot into a more centralized position.
     The Total Support insole, a technical replacement insole featuring the Q Factor Technology, provides targeted support and guides a woman’s foot into a more centralized position. A cuboid lock works in correlation with the Q Factor Technology to support the 5th metatarsal while stabilizing the foot. The insole also features a deep heel cup, a gel heel strike cushion that absorbs shock and returns energy for improved comfort and cushioning. 
     With the Quadricep angle (Q-angle) usually means that women are more likely to supinate, roll on the outside of the foot and then overcompensate by pronating, which drastically shifts the weight over to the inside of the foot. This Q-angle in women, 18 degrees versus 13 degrees in men, contributes to poor body alignment resulting in pressure on the knees, hips and back. The theory behind the Q factor technology is that it will guide the women’s foot into a more centralized position.
     Recent studies have shown that female athletes have a greater susceptibility to injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) when compared with male athletes. It was found that there was an apparent relationship between the anterior knee pain and the Q-angle. In the knee, the femur meets the tibia at an angle, which is called the Q-angle. The width of the pelvis determines the size of the Q-angle. Women have a wider pelvis than men have for child bearing; therefore, the Q-angle is greater in women than in men. By having this greater angle, forces are concentrated on the ligament each time the knee twists increasing the risk for an ACL tear. For example a twisting injury in a man’s knee may only stretch his ACL, however the greater Q-angle with the same type of twisting injury in a woman’s knee may cause a complete ACL tear. Mounting research indicates that a woman’s knee is not simply a smaller version of a man’s knee. The differences involve the bones, ligaments and tendons in the joints,” says Dr. Aaron G. Rosenberg. Women have less muscle strength in proportion to bone size than men have. The muscles that help hold the knee in place are stronger in men than in women. Therefore women rely less on the muscles and more on the ACL to hold the knee in place. So the ACL may have to work overtime, making it more prone to rupture.
     The whole line of Spenco For Her products is geared specifically for the targeted comfort for a woman’s foot. The cushioning and Total Support products are more technical with the built in Q Factor technology that directly helps better align the woman’s foot.
     Go to Spenco’s Website and click on Q Factor or simply do a Google search on Spenco for Her.