Wearers of an unusual shoe swear it cuts foot, ankle, knee and back pain

Wearers of an unusual shoe swear it cuts foot, ankle, knee and back painWhen Steve and Janice Dallas took the 2 1/2-hour drive from their home in Canton, Ohio, to Pittsburgh recently, they didn't come to watch the Pirates or visit one of the city's many museums.

They drove here to buy shoes.

Not just any pair, but Z-CoiLs.

"We've had stories of people who've traveled anywhere from two to eight hours to find a location because of how Z-CoiLs have helped people," says Pamela Rachel Trhlik, communications manager for Z-CoiL Pain Relief Footwear of Albuquerque, N.M.

The shoes with a steel spring mounted on the heel definitely cause heads to turn. They don't make much of a fashion statement; the appeal is their ability to eliminate pain, advocates said.

"I felt immediate relief when I tried on my first pair," said Stephenie Cready, 35, a hospice nurse from Eighty Four who has plantar fasciitis, a swelling of the thin layer of tissue that supports the arch of the foot. "It feels like I have pillows on my feet."

Cready bought her Z-CoiLs when she was vacationing in Arizona. She was so impressed that she convinced her friend, Nancy Kovach to get a pair to ease the pain in her arthritic knees and back.

William E. Hall, 79, of Mt. Lebanon, a retired oral surgeon, wears them on the tennis court four times a week.

"I play tennis in them and people will always say, 'You can't keep your balance in those,' and I say, 'Oh, yes I can!' "

Hall says standing on the job for 40 years affected his knees.

"These shoes don't cure anything. They won't make my arthritic knees any better, but they make living with arthritic knees better since there's not as much strain on my knees."

Hall, like many Z-CoiL wearers, learned about the shoes from a friend and purchased his in Arizona more than a year ago. According to Trhlik, "Our company has grown incredibly because of word of mouth of our customer evangelists who are passionate about what's on their feet."

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By Carole Reinert-Lucas
Post-Gazette
Tuesday, August 03, 2004