Re: HELLO - one handed laces

Hi Stuart

At one time I had a hinged Ankle Foot Orthotic (AFO) which resulted in one foot being much large than the other - so I had to buy very cheap trainers as I always needed to buy two pairs, a smaller one for the left foot and a larger one for the AFO encased right foot. Which rather put me off trainers.

But with time my dorsiflection improved a bit so I'm less liable to trip and I moved on to a smaller lighter splint called a Push Aeqi
http://www.pushstore.co.uk/494_320111/Push_Ortho_Ankle_Orthosis_Aequi.html
which will go into a normal shoe size.

I can just about do shoe laces, but doing it one handed I can't get them tight - so where loosely tied laces are OK I sometimes do them, but I agree Velco is easy and fast, even if not always cool. The shoes I wear most are ones with Velco fastening.

There are so-called self tying elastic shoe laces. They are just a tight elastic coil - but I don't think they look very cool and I've never tried them. See -
http://www.ggfootcare.co.uk/store/content_prod/30/488?r=Froogle

Amazon.co.uk has a version too -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lock-Laces-Elastic-White-OSFM/dp/B000NDEYOC

The subject of doing one-handed laces has been discussed here before, but those message are no longer on the message board. However, I have some of them messages saved on my computer, they describe a different way of lacing up shoes using normal laces. Here's one posted by Paul Hunkin in 2005 -

-----------

Take out your laces and then tie a knot in the end of one, any knot that will prevent the lace passing through a lace hole will do.

Pass the lace up through one of the bottom 2 holes and pull it until the knot stops it then go down through the hole opposite, then down through the next hole up on the opposite side, repeat until you run out of holes. At the last hole come UP through it.

Put your shoe on then pull the single lace tight to tighten the shoe. Make a small loop in the lace where it comes out of the top hole and pass this loop under the piece of lace crossing from one top hole to the other top hole

Then, with finger and thumb reach through this loop and grab the long tail of lace in the middle and pull it through your loop until it goes tight. Tuck any loose lace down the side of your foot and you're done.

To undo simply find the end of the lace and pull.

-----------

And here's another one posted by Barney Tyrwhitt Drake a little bit later. He has added something about zips too -

-----------

The excellent physiotherapists in the rehab unit I attended after my stroke taught me to do this, mainly I suspect out of frustration with the incompetent OTs on that ward, who were as much use as a chocolate teapot...

The essentials of the technique are:

1. Remove the shoelace completely from the shoe and tie a simple knot in one end of it.

2. Thread the lace into the bottommost hole from below until the knot pulls against the underside of the hole.

3. Thread the lace over down the other free bottommost hole from top to underside.

4 Cross back to the side of the shoe you started on and thread through the next pair of holes in the same way.

5. Continue in this way up to the topmost pair of holes.

6. Loosen the lace and slip your foot inside.

7. Starting from bottom to top, tighten the laces by pulling on successive loops.

8. Tie a slip knot using the loose end and the topmost loop. If you cannot remember how to tie a slip knot from your Scouting days, ask someone to show you how to do it and practise until you remember.

9. Tuck the slip knot loop and loose end into the instep between your sock and the shoe.

10. Pull the loose end of the slip knot to undo the knot, loosen the lace and slip off the shoe.

After a bit of practice this becomes as easy as doing it the old two-handed way with a bow knot. It doesn't look as fancy, but it is really tight and secure.

Zips are also doable if you have good eyesight and a little patience. I spend most of my life wearing a fleece and find the secret is to make sure that the moving bit of the zip is well and truly down at the bottom before you try to insert the bottom of the other half into it. Tug that down to make sure it is secure and then pull the zip handle.

The one thing I cannot yet master are zips that get stuck when the moving part catches on the lining inside.

This happened to me when I was taking a taxi in London the other day. I explained my dilemma to the cabbie and told him that if he wanted to get paid then he would have to help me undo the zip once he had stopped the meter. True to form he stopped both cab and meter, helped me out and together we stood on the pavement and rescued my trapped wallet. He got paid (with a tip), and we all lived happily ever after!

-----------

I hope they might help.