West Virginia Patent of the Month – February 2022
DARCO International, Inc. has been a pioneer in the foot and ankle industry, setting the standard for post op and diabetic wound care since 1985.One key value that DARCO strives to incorporate is a cost-effective solution. They believe a use they believe a user’s economic status should not be an indicator of the treatment they can afford. The typical justification for the price on these medical shoes is the cost of manufacturing and the labor intensive steps required to create a quality pair. DARCO has spent decades cultivating personal relationships with Partners to ensure that the shoes they design and manufacture meet the quality needs for medical treatment within the price range of any customer
One of their recent designs is made to help those in recovery following a surgery or some trauma to their foot. The shoe was designed to redistribute a weight away from the wound so that it may heal faster and more completely. The design includes a number of outsole projections which extend out through holes in the frame forming a ground contacting surface. The insole includes pressure distribution pegs which provide a customizable and targeted offloading of the patient’s foot. This means the pressure and weight of a user can be kept off the injured area and dispersed across the rest of the foot. This protects the injury without causing undue stress on the rest of the foot.
A frame made of a lightweight material acts as a rigid exoskeleton supporting the sole. The frame and sole can interlock and snap together. The snap lock feature removes the need for glue or stitching which is often the most expensive part of manufacture. The combination of pressure dispersion and cost-effective manufacturing makes these medical shoes a top option for reliable, effective treatment.
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