WFAA- TV | Coils: Easy on the feet? (Video)

WFAA.com News for Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas : By MACIE JEPSON

"They're not for being cool," said shoe distributor Teri Hernandez (TNT Z-CoiL Footwear). "They're for pain relief."

Spring-loaded shoes are designed to absorb skeletal shock. They're popping up on feet all across North Texas.

"I walked into the store in pain - a severe case of tendonitis in my Achilles tendon," said customer Mark Burkhall. "I tried on a pair of shoes and walked around, and the pain went away - and they had my attention."

Hernandez said the shoes are ideal for people with moderate to severe sciatic pain, back pain, hip, knees, ankle and foot problems.

Cosmetologists are on their feet all day, and they're usually considered fashion-forward. But Michelle Molnar is more concerned about comfort.

"They distribute your weight more evenly, so you're not leaning on the toes of your feet," Molnar said. "They straighten your back out."

But how do they work? We went to the Texas Back Institute to find out. Employees wear them, and so does orthopedic surgeon and TBI founder Dr. Stephen Hochschuler (Photo).

"What the coil does is unload your back, and stops some of the impact loading," Hochschuler said. "You're still impacted, but it's not the same hard end to the impact."

They make look unstable, but Hochschuler wears his in surgery.

"If you walk, you feel that springiness, but you're not wobbling on them," he said. (more)

Watch Video (WMV, 2 minutes)