SFIA Member Spotlight: SoleStretch
When did you start SoleStretch?
Bill Flickinger: I started SoleStretch, LLC in December 2019.
What exactly is the SoleStretch Foot and Leg Stretcher?
Bill Flickinger: The SoleStretch Foot and Leg Stretcher is a multi-function tool for stretching your feet and legs, massaging large muscle groups, performing myofascial/pressure point release and strengthening your legs. It disassembles to fit in a gym bag or suitcase.
The primary use of the SoleStretch is to provide a superior stretch of the feet and back of the legs. The user sits with their leg extended in front of them, engages the SoleStretch between the ball of the foot and the toes, and simply pulls the handle toward them. The stretch begins in the intrinsic muscles of the foot and the plantar fascia, extends through the Achille’s tendon and the muscles of the back of the leg.
Stretching relieves pain from plantar fasciitis, improves functional dorsiflexion and big toe flexibility. The SoleStretch provides a better stretch. The stretch is a more controlled stretch, performed in an unweighted fashion. This is much different, than say, pushing up against a wall. Because you are seated, you are not engaging these same muscles to hold you upright. You are not triggering the stretch reflex as you would when standing; therefore, you experience a deeper stretch. Unlike putting a towel around the arch of your foot, which stretches only the leg muscles; the SoleStretch engages at the toes to stretch the foot and leg. This unlocks the feet and helps the body realign itself from the ground up.
One can use the undulations in the handle to massage the large muscles, the disk on the end of the handle to perform a deeper, focused massage, and the small nub on the footrest for pressure point manipulations and myofascial release.
One can also use SoleStretch to strengthen the posterior tibialis to help prevent shin splints. The user loops stretch band around the handle and their foot. They hold the handle over their knee so that the stretch band is extended laterally away from the leg. They rotate the foot inward. This strengthens the posterior tibialis without the need for someone else to hold the stretch band.
What gave you the idea to start SoleStretch?
Bill Flickinger: I had plantar fasciitis. I had it off and on for years in my left foot. In the spring of 2019. I developed plantar fasciitis in my right foot. It came on very quickly when I used a pair of orthotics that were not right for me. By August, I could barely walk across the office. I was sidelined, not able walk for exercise. After several months with no relief, I went to the podiatrist. The podiatrist said, “If your legs weren’t so tight, you wouldn’t have plantar fasciitis.” I said to him, “Every stretch you recommend hurts.” He left the room to get a scanner for a new pair of orthotics. As I was sitting there, I started thinking.
Previously, I had a case of tennis elbow and spent some time in physical therapy. The goal in PT was to stretch the tendon and muscle without engaging the muscle to contract. The physical therapist had me move my hand back to the neutral position with the other hand.
I realized a similar approach was needed with the leg. We often do these stretches while putting weight on the leg. If I could come up with a way to stretch the leg as well as the intrinsic muscles of the feet without weightbearing, I would have a better solution to help people feel better. I made one the next day, and it worked. I made a few more for some people I knew, family members and friends, and it worked for them, too.
How did you make the first one?
Bill Flickinger: I cut and shaped copper pipe into various designs until I settled on one. I used baseball bat wrap to make a handle and a footrest. I started to use it. I showed it to a few people, including running store owners and doctors who all agreed it was going to work. The people that had used it really liked it. I filed a patent and hired a designer.
We started working with trainers and people in the sports industry. We developed multiple designs. People asked for more features including pressure point release and massage features.
During the development process, I took a trip. My SoleStretch prototype did not fit in my suitcase. While away, I really wished that I had it with me. For that reason, we designed in portability.
These extra features add a lot of value. During our video shoot, the model, a runner and local personality, had just finished an eight mile run in the snow. She was using SoleStretch to massage her IT bands in the middle of the shoot. She thought it was great. We gave her one to take home.
In the end, I had gone from barely being able to walk, to walking for exercise within two to three weeks. I started using it in mid-October and in November I walked 55 miles. When I started, I was convinced I would never walk for exercise again, and now I can.
Can you tell me a little bit about your background?
Bill Flickinger: I am a 30 year medical device veteran. I have worked in implantable devices, cardiac catheters, GI, pulmonary and ENT. Most of my time has been in cardiology, and specifically in electrophysiology. I founded a company serving ENTs in 2008 and sold it in 2018. I currently also work as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Bounce Innovation Hub in Akron, OH advising medical device startups and as a part-time CEO for VisionAir Solutions, a company that makes patient-specific 3-D printed airway stents derived from the patient’s CT images, based in Cleveland, OH.
How did you kickstart the company?
Bill Flickinger: I self-funded the company using money earned through consulting in the Life Sciences industry, primarily advising medical device startups in business strategy and quality management.
We are focusing on a short-tail, online marketing strategy and selling the SoleStretch locally to demonstrate demand. We are calling on podiatrists and local running stores. We hope to fund the company initially through cash flow until we can attract investors.
Do you make any products? Or do you have any others in the pipeline?
Bill Flickinger: This is our first product. We would like to complement it with stretch bands. We have some ideas in development that support a systematic approach to plantar fasciitis beyond the SoleStretch FLS.
We will be looking for input from our customer base to understand their unmet needs.
Our mission is to help people get back on their feet, which is really compelling to me personally.
Too many of our chronic diseases are caused in part because we, as a society, are not as active as we could be. It just takes one injury to put you on the sidelines. We want to enable people to get back in action.
What makes SoleStretch different than other physical therapy products in the market?
Bill Flickinger: We think it is the first device that really focuses on stretching the foot and leg at the same time in a dynamic fashion. SoleStretch focuses that stretch on the intrinsic muscles of the feet, whereas other devices, like rockers, focus on the legs. The stretch is performed in a dynamic fashion versus a static fashion. One could buy a sock to wear at night, however, the literature reports that people tend to take these off at about two or three in the morning. That disrupts their sleep, which is bad for their health. SoleStretch is a dynamic device that takes only 10 reps at a 30 second count, twice a day. It fits easily into your lifestyle. It is a reminder to do your stretches. And you can easily add it to your stretching routine when you get back from running or walking.
As such a new company, starting in 2020, how did the pandemic impact SoleStretch?
Bill Flickinger: The pandemic impacted us. It impacted our ability to obtain feedback from potential end users. We lost two months in the design process. The pandemic negatively impacted international shipping. We ended up losing several weeks to shipping delays when we made the molds. We manufacture the SoleStretch in Ohio, so we will not be impacted again by international shipping delays. I think the pandemic is going impact our launch, simply because running events, if they are happening, are not holding expos. We would have exhibited at the Cleveland Marathon in May, but it is going to be a virtual event this spring.
Where do you see SoleStretch in 10 years?
Bill Flickinger: I envision SoleStretch being a recognized brand for recovery and injury prevention. Our land strategy is to reach people who have injuries. Our expand strategy is to reach into the recovery market, offering stretching routines for athletes. For example, if we look at the current thinking on improving functional dorsiflexion and big toe flexibility, it enables athletes to achieve that explosive motion that comes with those functions. That could be an opportunity to reach more people. Just like people use rollers, we hope it fits into people’s routine in the same way, to help them stay healthy in the first place.
