So what is it? And what does it do?
There are entirely new challenges when bringing the cutting-edge practices of the athletic and outdoor industries to high performance all-day footwear. Our users are on their feet all day, in a wide range of activities and applications, they need support not just when they're moving, but when they're standing for long periods and doing everything in between.
Through research and collaboration with experienced orthopedic technicians, we learned the importance of support and how it can affect the posture and comfort of your entire body. The difference of a millimeter at your feet can change weight distribution throughout your entire body. With the wrong support, users are forced to counter-balance in ways that bring strain to the hips, spine, and neck. These findings were not only eye opening, but really validated the importance of great shoes!
Casca's proprietary stabilizer curves under the footbed to provide optimal heel lift and give rigidity to the heel and metatarsal bones (mid-foot). Commonly known as a "shank", this portion of the stabilizer takes the stress off the mid-foot trying to unnaturally adjust to your shoes. Made from a semi-rigid injection molded plastic, we've combined this ergonomic shank with an exposed heel counter, locking the heel in place and reducing lateral shifting within the shoe. This not only gives a more stable ride but protects against rolled ankles and other painful injuries. Exposing the heel counter allows for more internal padding, eliminating pain points and blisters on the heel and achilles.
Not only does it function, but it provides a unique and consistent element across all of our designs. Our patent drawings reflect a more generalized form factor, as we want to protect this idea in all shapes and sizes. So expect to see more refined detailing when applied to our footwear designs in the near future. By developing this component as a single piece, we provide a consistent feel through the shoe and long lasting support. One of the challenges with this development was ensuring that there was adequate torsional flexibility, and we didn't constrain the foot beyond where it wanted support. Hundreds of sketches, models, testing, and concepts resulted in connecting the ergonomic shank to the medial side of the foot while allowing greater flexibility on the lateral side. We're really excited for some of our future users to test this in the near future and see the dramatic difference. In the meantime, let us know what you think via Instagram or Facebook, or email us at info@casca.com
The Casca team.