Orthotics, do they work?

[te_wa]

according to this man's study, they may do little or nothing at all - and get this.. they may cause more harm than good.

I follow his advice at the end of the article.. find a shoe that fits, and wear it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/healt ... odayspaper

[Jim]

Depends on what type of feet you have.

Jason has perfectly flat feet — no arch....So why shouldn’t Jason — or anyone, for that matter — just go to a store and buy whatever shoe feels good, without worrying about “correcting” a perceived biomechanical defect?
“That is exactly what you should do,” Dr. Nigg replied.

It's nice to sit in an ivory tower and act like they're just crap, and maybe they are, but when surgery is the only other alternative to having severe pain, you can't just go with nothing.

[fricknaley]

i got posterior tibial tendonitis in my arch and couldn't hike for 8 months. i got orthotics and followed that up with my best hiking year ever. what does that mean? i don't know but professionally speaking, never dissuade the power of anecdotal evidence, perception and placebo if nothing else. plus if something that used to hurt like $%^ starts feeling better when you try something, it's hard to then tell that person said object doesn't work

[Jim]

My trouble is, they don't work anymore, but without them I'm worse. I'd like to be recast, but I wonder how good they will be. It would just be nice if I wasn't deformed.

[BobP]

professionally speaking

Paging Dr. Frick to orthotics....

[big_load]

Depends on what type of feet you have.

A lot of people get orthotics who may do OK without them. But they can make a big difference for some problems. Mine compensate for a collapsed arch on one foot and slightly shorter leg on that side. I went from not being able to walk unassisted to setting a half-marathon PR in less than a month, but what really made me happy was that it ended a frequently-recurring hip injury in my other leg and relieved a lot of stress in my back. I didn't realize how much stress there was until I stood on them the first time.

[fricknaley]

@rlrjamy :wlift:

[tkknc]

I use to wear orthotics as a kid. When I played soccer in HS I broke them every 2 months. The plastic was not very good in those days. The Doctor finally got tired of replacing them and said I did not need them anymore. I have not used prescription orthotics since. I will and do use superfeet to improve the fit of a shoe.

[VVebb]

My wife injured both knees a while back, and as part of her recovery, she went to regular physical therapy sessions and also got a custom-made set of orthotics, which cost several hundred dollars. (Insurance might cover it -- check it out.) Her knees were "out of alignment" when she walked, which made recovery difficult. A major purpose of the orthotics was to change her gait so that her knees would operate on the proper plane, allowing a better recovery.

I personally have very narrow feet (size 11B-12B). It's very hard to find shoes in B-width, so I normally wear standard D-width shoes, but with extra inserts to elevate my foot inside the shoe, thereby making it easier to tie the shoe tightly. If I don't put inserts in my shoes, it's impossible to tighten the laces so that the shoes fit snugly because the two sides of the shoe run into each other below the laces. So, even a cheap set of orthotics saves me the time and money needed to obtain a set of shoes that fits me properly. (Lame, I know, but I discovered this solution a long time ago, and it hasn't failed me, so I've never actually purchased B-width shoes.)

I'm sure some people think that orthotics are amazing and others think that they are a waste of money, but that's just my two cents.

[hikerdw]

IMO, stay far away from Dr. Nigg. I have always had flat feet. Wore Orthotics as a kid and was nearly refused entry into the armed forces becaause of the contition. It hasn't caused me any arch, heel, knee, or other leg problems, but it has caused many issues with the forefoot from all the stress that is place there due to having no arch (feet roll inwards). I don't use othotics today but I do use insoles from footminders.com. I'd be willing to bet no one has "perfectly flat feet"

[Jeffshadows]

Depends on whom you ask...

[hikeaz]

........

I personally have very narrow feet (size 11B-12B). It's very hard to find shoes in B-width, so I normally wear standard D-width shoes, but with extra inserts to elevate my foot inside the shoe, thereby making it easier to tie the shoe tightly. If I don't put inserts in my shoes, it's impossible to tighten the laces so that the shoes fit snugly because the two sides of the shoe run into each other below the laces. So, even a cheap set of orthotics saves me the time and money needed to obtain a set of shoes that fits me properly. (Lame, I know, but I discovered this solution a long time ago, and it hasn't failed me, so I've never actually purchased B-width shoes.)

I have the same issue(s) ( flat, low-volume foot with skinny heels, size 12). I recently tried a pair of Mizuno Cabrakan 2, a lightish trail runner. I had always sworn by Montrail Vitesse's, but they are out of production. Anyway, these Mizuno's are made for narrow. low-volume feet. You may want to see it they may work for you as well.