One of the most common misconceptions about arch supports is that they only help the arches of your feet. In fact, many people only consider buying an arch support when their feet begin to ache. Yet in reality, everyone can benefit from arch supports, whether your foot arches hurt or not.
Insoles that come with your shoes from the store are typically just a flat cushioned pad. These pads provide minimal support and wear out rather quickly, creating a situation that can leave your feet in discomfort or pain. Arch supports help:
- Align the entire foot
- Guide the foot through a natural motion
- Provide stability, provide additional comfort
- Help prevent and alleviate pain in not only the feet, but also the knees, hips, and lower back.
Now, we mentioned before that arch supports can help with more than just your feet, and that’s true! Wearing an insole that properly supports your foot will help align your body from the ground up! They will help assist in the treatment and prevention of common foot problems such as over-pronation, supination, shin splints, arch pain/strain, foot fatigue, and flat feet, just to name a few. The Orthaheel Orthotic Insoles, for example, are designed with technology that assists in restoring the foot’s natural alignment, relieving pressure and stress on the feet, ankles, knees, legs, and hips.
Why Do Orthotic Arch Supports Help?
First and foremost, arch support insoles provide support to the arches of your feet to prevent them from collapsing. They also relieve pressure/stress on the foot arch. Without proper support, your foot arch may begin to collapse, or you may develop small tears in the tendons of your foot arch over time as “normal wear and tear” on the foot. This can lead to painful conditions such as Plantar Fasciitis.
But orthotic arch supports provide more than just arch support. They can also offer your feet additional shock absorption and increased comfort. Whether you are running or playing sports, shock absorbing insoles will help treat and prevent common foot conditions such as shin splints and foot fatigue. The Sof Sole Airr Orthotic Performance Insoles offers both cushioning and shock absorption while also providing arch support.
Having a deep heel cup built into your insole will help properly align your foot and increase your foot’s stability. This will help reduce foot fatigue and assist with the treatment and prevention of foot conditions such as Plantar Fasciitis, over-pronation, and supination. The Spenco Total Support Original Insoles are a great example of an arch support insole that uses a deep heel cup to provide more comfort, stability, and support for the feet than many other insoles.
Extra metatarsal cushioning can also help with ball-of-foot pain and foot conditions such as Metatarsalgia. A metatarsal pad or cushion will provide forefoot support and help keep your toes spread apart and in their natural position. This will assist with relieving most common forefoot pain. The Powerstep Pinnacle PLUS Orthotic Insoles w/Met. Pad add increased metatarsal support with overall cushioning to provide ball-of-foot pain relief on top of the benefits of an arch support.
What If My Feet Don’t Hurt That Much?
Just because your feet don’t hurt now doesn’t mean that they won’t start hurting soon, and it’s much easier to prevent foot pain than it is to treat it once it’s there and prominent. Arch supports are just as often worn to prevent foot pain as they are to treat foot problems. So while your feet may feel okay now, proper arch support will help ensure that it stays that way tomorrow and onward.
Additionally, many people don’t know that their feet are in discomfort simply because they’re used to it. Most shoes you can buy off the shelf have very little in the way of foot support and comfort. However, because that’s all we wear most days, that’s what we’re used to. Replacing the inserts that came in your shoes with a pair of arch supports can provide your feet with relief you never knew they needed in the first place.
And finally, just because you don’t experience foot pain doesn’t mean that your feet aren’t causing other problems. Many people with chronic knee, hip and lower back pain never find a solution because they only treat their pain symptoms and not the root problem. Ankle, knee, hip, and even lower back pain are often a side effect of underlying foot conditions and lack of proper foot support.
Arch supports do more than just support your arches. They provide complete lower-body support, add cushioned comfort, absorb shock, and provide stability. So whether you seek to treat foot pain, prevent foot pain, or help with pain elsewhere in the body, a proper pair of orthotic arch supports can be a huge help. Find your solution today at TheInsoleStore.com!