Skechers Shape-Ups are designed with a round sole, which changes the way a person walks. Some people are seeking compensation for pain, suffering, medical expenses, lost income, and other damages after suffering a painful, debilitating stress fracture.
UPDATE
May 16, 2012 — Skechers will pay the Federal Trade Commission $40 million to settle a class action lawsuit. Part of the settlement will also be used to refund customers who purchased Skechers toning shoes after August 1, 2008. Although Skechers admits no wrongdoing in the advertising of their toning shoes, the FTC accused the company of misleading customers by making bogus claims that just wearing the shoes could help a person lose weight, get in shape, tone muscles, and improve cardiovascular health.
What is the problem with Skechers Shape-Ups?
The shoes are intentionally designed with a round sole, which changes the way a person walks. Advertisements claim that the shoes can promote weight loss, help tone your muscles, and improve cardiovascular health. The company markets a “for-work” version of the shoe, which is designed for “industry professionals who want to get in shape while on the job.”
It is unclear whether the shoes are safe for long-term use.
Recently, a 38 year-old Ohio woman named Holly Ward filed a Skechers Shape-Ups lawsuit, alleging that her hip fractures were caused by long-term use of the shoes. She wore the shoes during her waitress shifts and also during exercise. Ms. Ward was recently featured on the TV show Good Morning America, where she claimed that, “The extended use of these shoes has injured me catastrophically.”
Stress Fractures
A stress fracture, also known as a hairline fracture, is a small crack in a bone, often caused by unusual and repeated stress on a bone. It almost always occurs in weight-bearing bones, such as the tibia (shin bone), metatarsals (bones in the feet), femur (thigh bone), or hip.
A stress fracture may have very few symptoms. Often, people suffer only mild pain at first, which gradually grows worse over time. Doctors can diagnose a stress fracture using a CT scan, MRI, or bone scan.
Treatment of stress fractures in weight-bearing bones requires that the person rest for long periods of time. If you have suffered a stress fracture caused by Skechers Shape-Ups, you may have been out of work for quite some time while the stress fracture healed.
A stress fracture is different from other types of bone fractures, which are caused by a severe impact and a large break in a bone. It is caused by repeated, small traumas, which gradually exhaust the bone’s ability to repair itself.
People who are out of shape may be at an increased risk of developing a stress fracture. If they go from sedentary, to a sudden burst of exercise, the abnormal stress on their bones can cause fractures.
Symptoms of a Stress Fracture
The most common locations of stress fractures are in the bones of the foot. They are also common in the heel, lower-leg bone, top of the mid-foot, and hip.
- Pain that develops gradually, becoming worse with time
- Pain that increases with weight-bearing activity
- Pain that occurs during normal activities
- Tenderness where the fracture is
- Bruising