History of Step Flex
The Step Flex orthotic has a long and interesting history, evolving over decades to become the active orthotic it is today.
The origins of the concept
German-educated George Alzner was a master orthopaedic shoe designer who recognised that, for many people, custom-made orthotics were not providing satisfactory results. Trained in orthopaedics and physiotherapy, he later qualified as an orthopaedic foot specialist in West Germany before migrating to Canada.
There, Alzner spent many years developing and testing a different approach to orthotic support. Rather than simply accommodating the foot as it was, his aim was to encourage it to function more as it should—an idea that remains central to Step Flex today.
Bringing the concept to Australia
In 1974, the Alzner concept went into commercial production under Step Forward and other brands, selling primarily in the USA and Canada.
In 2004, Mark and Vida Vogt, based in Melbourne, became the national Australian distributors of Step Forward. Following its acceptance in Australia, they expanded distribution into New Zealand and then a number of European countries.
Mark and Vida Vogt
Bringing the Alzner orthotic concept to Australia since 2004.
From Step Forward to Step Flex
During the business hiatus caused by COVID restrictions, Mark and Vida partnered with their German distributor to establish production of Alzner-design orthotics in Germany.
The move provided an opportunity to make minor refinements to the design while giving greater control over manufacturing quality and logistics. The material used to manufacture the orthotics remained the same, maintaining the performance and longevity customers had come to expect.
The change in manufacturing also brought a change in name—from Step Forward to Step Flex.
Step Flex Today
Today, the Step Flex team in Australia continues to support both long-standing customers and those discovering Step Flex for the first time.