Proprioceptive/kinesthetic apparatus and method

Abstract

Footwear including a support member having an upper surface attachable to a foot, and two bulbous protuberances, a forward bulbous protuberance and rearward bulbous protuberance, each having a curved outer contour, protruding from a lower surface of the support member on opposite sides of a latitudinal midline thereof, and wherein at least one of the protuberances is offset from the centerline of the support member.

1 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . Footwear comprising:
 a support member having an upper surface attachable to a foot, and two bulbous protuberances, a forward bulbous protuberance and rearward bulbous protuberance, each having a curved outer contour, protruding from a lower surface of said support member on opposite sides of a latitudinal midline thereof, said latitudinal midline being halfway between a calcaneus support portion and a phalanges support portion of said support member, and wherein a centerline extends from a calcaneus support portion of said support member to at least one of a metatarsals support portion and phalanges support portion of said support member, and wherein at least one of said protuberances is offset from said centerline of said support member, and wherein the foot is supported only by said two bulbous protuberances when said two protuberances are placed on a ground surface.   
     
     
         21 . Footwear according to  claim 20 , wherein said forward protuberance is offset from the centerline, and the rearward protuberance is positioned differently with respect to the centerline than the forward protuberance. 
     
     
         22 . Footwear according to  claim 20 , wherein said rearward protuberance is fixed to said support member generally underneath a calcaneus support portion of said support member. 
     
     
         23 . Footwear according to  claim 20 , wherein said forward protuberance is fixed to said support member generally underneath a metatarsals support portion of said support member. 
     
     
         24 . Footwear according to  claim 20 , wherein said forward protuberance is fixed to said support member generally underneath a phalanges support portion of said support member. 
     
     
         25 . Footwear according to  claim 20 , wherein each of said protuberances has a cross-section with a shape of a conic section, said conic section comprising at least one of a circle, ellipse, parabola and hyperbola. 
     
     
         26 . Footwear according to  claim 20 , wherein the outer contour of said forward protuberance is shaped differently from the outer contour of said rearward protuberance. 
     
     
         27 . Footwear according to  claim 20 , wherein one of said protuberances protrudes further from the lower surface of said support member than another protuberance. 
     
     
         28 . Footwear according to  claim 20 , wherein one of said protuberances is more resilient than another protuberance. 
     
     
         29 . Footwear according to  claim 20 , further comprising at least one non-bulbous protuberance mounted on the lower surface of said support member.