What are Accessible Shoelaces?
Standard footwear typically has shoelaces that require two hands to tie up and a high degree of dexterity.
There are many people who are unable to tie up laces, such as people with upper limb issues (dysfunction or complete paralysis), people missing a limb or people with dexterity impairments (such as stroke patients).
Accessible shoelaces refers to lacing options that are easier to tie, thereby allowing people to tie laced footwear with one hand or limited dexterity.
What are the Different Types of Accessible Shoe Laces?
Orthotics Plus can help you choose the correct laces, as well as modify your existing footwear. The types we prescribe are:
- Elastic Lace
- Velcro
- Zipper
- QuickFit (have a BOA dial that can be twisted to tighten up the shoe)
In some cases, we will strongly recommend the QuickFit solution because they are not only easy to use but can be tightened very strongly, which is beneficial for keeping the ‘foot held tight’ in the shoe.
How Accessible Shoe Laces Work
The patient will bringthe shoes in to us and we determine if they’re appropriate for accessible lacing and if so, which type.
The most common shoe type is a lace up sneaker, but accessible shoe laces have been used on dress shoes where appropriate. Once an appropriate shoe has been identified, we retrofit the system to the shoes via small rivets that go through the eyelets of the shoe.
Who is Suitable for Accessible Shoe Laces
Accessible shoe laces can be appropriate for anyone who struggles to do shoelaces in a traditional sense. This may include:
- Older adults with rheumatoid arthritis in the hands
- Paediatric patients experiencing developmental delay
- Patients who had a stroke.
- It could be a brachial plexus, and the patient has function in only one hand
Please contact Orthotics Plus to determine if we are appropriate for you to visit.
Shoe Types, Sizes & Color
Generally speaking, accessible shoelaces are only suitable for sensible types of shoes with existing laces and a tongue, such as:
- Sneakers
- Runners
- Work boots
- Hiking boots
They are not compatible with flats, ballet shoes, heels and so forth.
These come in sizes ranging from XS to L, so paediatrics to adult shoe sizes are covered.
Book an Assessment to Receive Accessible Shoe Laces
At Orthotics Plus, we treat each patient holistically and require a visitation to appropriately prescribe the correct type of laces.
- Patients will leave their shoes with us for a few days and we will retrofit the laces
- We offer many types of lower limb Orthoses such as custom Foot Orthotics, AFOs and more
- We are an NDIS registered organisation
- Our Orthotists care about your outcomes
Please view our clinic locations page to make an enquiry.
