The advanced orthotic insoles: All that you need to know before buying an orthotic insole

Maintaining healthy foot health is essential. Several people suffer from discomforting knee joint and feet pain. The shins are also a delicate area that gets affected. These people could be suffering from arthritis, osteoporosis, flat feet syndrome or any other ailments, causing walking problems. Expert doctors and orthopedics suggest the use of orthotic insoles in such conditions that would help to heal the pain.

What are orthotic insoles?

Orthotic insoles are also known as shoe inserts. Its foot support placed inside your sandal or shoe. It aids and comforts the user’s painful feet, while he/she is walking or carrying out daily chores. These insoles are accessible as pre-packed material. Some insoles are also custom-made taking a biomechanical pattern. The insole effectively covers the entire length of the footwear. It provides a cover to the heel cup that gives better support to the user’s heels.

Where is it available?

You can get orthotic insoles over the counter both at drugstores and shoe shops. Some orthotics specialists help you customize the shoe. The insoles you get over the counter provide cushioning and shock absorption features. However, sometimes the custom-made insoles offer better comfort. It is designed and molded according to the feet size of the user. Furthermore, these insoles are useful in correcting an individual’s gait. And as the feet are healing from an injury, the insoles also provide pain relief and comfort. Orthotic insoles offer adequate support to the feet which in turn balances the spine.

Important utilities of orthotic insoles

There are some useful features and functionalities of orthotic insoles. Three crucial ones are as follows:

1. It helps to minimize the shock impact

The insoles provide a cushion to the soles. It gives adequate relief to the user from the ongoing shock and pressure of walking. Also, these feet inserts disseminate the body’s weight evenly in the legs and feet. Making use of orthotic insoles is similar to making the car engine perform better. The moment the orthotic insole gets appropriately placed, the foot curve of the user is aligned correctly. These insoles give a new framework so that malformed feet can arrange itself. All the unwanted and pain from excess stress gets addressed and solved.

2. Orthotic insoles are reasonably priced

These insoles come at a lower price than the orthotic footwear. It is because the orthotic shoes get customized as per the shoe size of the user. However, whether you customize it or purchase it over the counter, orthotic insoles are a good investment option.

3. It can help you take care of your foot pain

People who are suffering from chronic foot problems and other congenital disabilities, orthotic insoles are a great relief. Even people having mild injuries to the ones diagnosed with a temporary foot problem can benefit from the Ultra Orthotic Insoles considerably. 

Health benefits of orthotic insoles

There are many health benefits of orthotic insoles. It has helped in the treatment and complete healing of many foot discomforts and ailments. Some of the benefits are listed below:

• It helps to minimize Achilles Tendonitis pain–It is a very painful feet ailment. Usually, this problem occurs in people who run or walk aggressively. The tendons that connect the heels and calf muscles become painful. It affects the usual walking pace of a person. However, when patients opt-in for these insoles the pain reduces to a vast extent. Orthotic insoles help to disseminate the body weight all across the feet in a uniform manner. It brings comfort to the affected foot arches. The insoles take in all the shocks and heal the heel pain. The patient gradually gets back to his/her normal walking gait.
• Can help with Overpronation pain – It is a condition where the feet are painful. Owing to excess work on the legs and feet muscles the feet arches flatten eventually. It is a primary cause of feet diseases, such as the Achilles Tendonitis, ankle joint sprains, and knee and heel pain. However, making use of an apt orthotic insole, this ailment can be solved to a great extent. Insoles lessen the body pressure on feet, the knee and ankle pains reduce over time.
• Can cure PlantarFasciitis–This ailment brings with it excruciating heel pain. It happens due to inflammation caused in a set of fat, fibrous tissue that pervades across the feet’s lower surface. Using orthotic insoles is helpful in reducing the feet pain. When the body weight gets evenly distributed on the legs and feet, the pain point starts to relax and heal.
• Can bring down the discomforts of a flat feet-People who have flat feet since birth don’t have an arch or a little arch beneath their feet. It often leads them to suffer from an ongoing pain in their heels, feet and sometimes even in the knees. However, by making use of an insole on a daily basis, this problem can be solved considerably.
• Is useful in reducing pain in the lower parts of an individual’s body- Sometimes, due to a sedentary lifestyle, obesity or lack of physical exercises, people often face pains in the lower part of their body. For instance, an increase in Uric acid can trigger pain in areas like knees, feet and the calf region. When you make use of an orthotic insole, you can relax the feet which in turn comfort the backbone, back muscles, and knee area. The pain starts to reduce gradually. Also, sometimes pain in legs can happen from tired feet. There can be tension in tendons and muscle fibers. Orthotic insoles help to comfort and relax weary feet as well.

Purchasing the best orthotic insole

You now know that orthotic insoles are beneficial in curing a host of feet ailments. But what is essential is selecting the correct insole for your feet. Sometimes people go wrong in the selection process. Here’s what you need to keep in mind as you opt in for one.

• The size of the insole

To gain maximum comfort from an insole you need to select the best size. Insoles are usually designed in a way so that they get trimmed to fit the user. They are available in multiple shoe sizes. The customer can trim off the length that is not required.  Hence, when you are purchasing the insole you should try wearing it with a closed shoe, check if you can walk comfortably and then make a buy.

• The placement of the insole

Have you purchased a full-length insole? If yes, you probably would need to do away with the existing insole from the footwear before you use the new one. Most full-length insoles can replace your current insole entirely. Furthermore, only the flat and thin full-length insoles can be worn without any hassle along with the existing ones.

• Know the arch type of your foot

Usually, the foot arch that we all have is of three kinds. These are medium/neutral arch, the high arch and the low arch which is also known as the fallen arch or a flat feet syndrome. Hence, each insole gets designed in a way that it is compatible with most of these foot types. So, when you are checking out insoles, you need to know your feet arch type well. Wearing an insole which is utterly incompatible to your feet arch type, will not solve the problem at all.

• The type of the insole footbed

Usually, the orthotic arch supports and the insoles comprise of one of four various types of footbed constrictions. They are:

1. Tight orthotic arch support
2. Cushioned orthotic arch support
3. Semi-tight orthotic arch support
4. The flat/zero arch support cushion
5. The kind of footbed you require depends on the reason for your opting for an insole. Hence, you ought to search for products having a footbed type, catering to your requirements.

The material of the orthotic insole

It is one of the most critical factors that you need to consider while making a purchase. Generally, four insole materials are used to make orthotic insoles. These include leather, foam, cork, and gel. Every material comes with its own set of benefits. How should you select the material? The best way is to evaluate the performance of each material and then arrive at a decision. Going by the norm, the foam is by far the best material for orthotic insoles. It is apt for providing the best support and cushioning. Users often report of increased pressure relief. On the other hand, gel orthotic insoles are helpful in case of shock absorption. Leather insoles bring in adequate comfort, and cork insoles are known as light cushioning and support.

Now that you are aware of the uses, features, benefits of orthotic insoles and about the types of insole materials, you can make the best selection. Your feet are important. Whether you have a foot injury, ailment or a temporary discomfort taking adequate care is imperative. Orthotic insoles are designed to provide your feet ample rest, relief, support and heal it back to normalcy gradually.