How to make a shoe bolster

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How to make a shoe bolster

How to make a shoe wedge
Repair shoe for lateral damage to foot
How to make a shoe for arthritic damage to ankle

What is shoe bolster? It is additional material added to side of shoe to support injured or deformed foot Shoe goo can be used to make bolster, and to make a wedge on bottom of shoe. Or to raise the height of any part of shoe. Following photos are from a boltster and wedge I make for my right ankle. Ankle was damaged in impact. Similar injuries are found with car accident and plane accident victims. The impact caused the bone to collapse, leaving my ankle bent sideways. Over time, walking on the the foot has fused most of the joint, but it remains unstable and painful without correct shoe. The damaged ankle also shortens length of right leg causing uneven stress on hips and back. To solve the ankle and leg-length problem, I originally paid a company to make a shoe bolster that was applied to tennis shoes that I purchased. That company went out of business. The lack of expertise by regular shoe repair shops, and lack of insurance coverage for a corrective shoe, and the foot doctor's insistence that I needed a brace that ran up on my leg caused me to manufacture my own shoe. Cutting the cost down to a few dollars of shoe goo. I purchased Nike shoes locally. The shoes have a cushioned sole. The cushion sole is nice and soft, but collapses toward the right because of damaged right ankle. The shoes only last a few days without the bolster. The following pictures show how to add a bolster and optional wedge to a tennis shoe using shoe goo. How it works: The shoe goo eliminates the cushion on right side of shoe... the rest of shoe is still cushioned.. so shoe becomes stable at the right point for my ankle.
	Use knife, plastic milk carton, breathing mask, shoe goo: I use soft tennis shoe instead of hard leather shoe because the side of shoe is soft against side of ankle New shoe goo is more fluid Older shoe goo becomes thick and will not flow as smooth or level itself as well as new
	Cut plastic milk carton: Cut shape out of plastic water or milk container using knife or scissors Shoe goo does not stick to plastic or masking tape
	Tape plastic shape to side of shoe Make sure tape is stuck well Double or triple tape it Make sure tape is securely attached to shoe A gap in tape will let shoe goo drip down and be difficult or impossible to remove Do not let shoe goo get too high on side of shoe or the rigid side of shoe will cut onto ankle
	Leave space between shoe and bottom of shoe so shoe goo can flow down along edge of shoe
	Warning: shoe goo will cause respiratory problems Do the work outside Wear respirator mask Let shoe goo dry before bringing inside Shoe goo is also flammable... do not use indoors or near open flame. This is called a half-face mask, and has a chemical filter on it that blocks smell of shoe goo completely. Buy: Respirator mask at Amazon
	Set the shoe so it is tipped at angle to match the bolster that you want I tipped the shoes backwards and to the side so shoe goo would fill the heel, and side of shoe Both these are right shoes. The bolster is needed to correct damaged ankle from injury and arthritis Warning: shoe goo will cause respiratory problems Do the work outside Wear respirator mask Let shoe goo dry before bringing inside
	Squeeze out shoe goo into space formed by the plastic
	First coat of shoe goo applied Add as many coats as needed Shoe goo will stick to itself even if it's dry or partly dry
	Goo dries overnight: Remove plastic and tape from shoe after goo dries More shoe goo can be added any time
	Comparison between new bolster and old bolster worn every day for last 10 months These inexpensive tennis shoes have a cushion sole. When you walk, the cushion compresses. The bolster on right side of heel stops the cushion from compressing on right side. The left side of the shoe still compresses when walking. The result is a bolster that keeps the right side of the shoe from compressing, thereby stabilizing the damaged ankle. Notice that new and old bolsters look about the same. The shoe goo holds its shape for a long time. However the old shoe wore out in the front.
	Using reciprocating saw to cut heels off old shoes to make wedges ... that are glued inside new shoes ... to hold an exactly-cut piece of aluminum at an angle ... to create a DIY shoe bolster ... that corrects my damaged ankle ... so I am able to walk ... because the company that made the expensive version of this shoe went out of business ... and no other shoe company knew what I was talking about or they wanted 1000s to make a 'boot' with leg iron strap ... naturally, my work resulted in a webpage plus a comfortable, ordinary-looking $32 pair of shoes that lasts 5 years... proving that innovation is rewarded with billions of dollars and a care-free life.

Professionally-made bolster with a wedge from Medical Shoe Company
This company went out of business, and local shoe repair shops were unable to duplicate

This shoe was not designed well for my ankle, but it lasted nine months of hard wear when I was painting houses.
Has hard sole, not cushioned, so it lasted a long time, but the hard surface required 'breaking in' which was painful.
Bolster was too high, and rubbed ankle, which required me to cut it down and tolerate pain until the shoe and ankle agreed

Overall, my design is better, less visible and pain-free for me without breaking in.... probably because the new shoe is wider, with a cushioned sole, and my bolster is not as high.
My bolster lets me walk pain free, and as rapidly as I want.

Professionally-made bolster ... these are my old work and hiking shoes... thoroughly broken in and about 15 years old.
They worked well, and I added carpet and piece of wood to inside for riser and cushion... but they were dirty and worn out so they met a trash can two years ago... I should've had them bronzed.

Cut-out for ankle can be seen on right shoe. This was cut down so the bolster did not rub ankle.
The new bolster on the cushioned Nike shoe is better because the shoe is soft, and the bolster does not go as high.

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