What are insoles for?
Choosing the right insoles for your feet can have an important impact. Pick the right insoles, and your foot problem could be resolved. Opt for the wrong type, however, and the insoles might not help at all – in fact, your problem might get worse. It’s vital to understand which insoles are most suitable for your foot problem so you can recover quicker and get back to your everyday lifestyle sooner.
Relieving pressure
Some foot problems are caused by too much pressure on the soles of your feet. In the case of corns and calluses, excess pressure can cause the skin to harden, making the area painful. This can happen if you spend a lot of time on your feet during the day, or if you do high-impact activities such as running or jogging. But anyone can have foot problems relating to pressure, as your feet work very hard to support your whole body.
Pressure-relieving insoles can be a great way to alleviate this problem and get your feet back to their best. Regardless of the exact cause of the increased stress on your feet, a pressure-relieving insole will work to reduce the pressure by spreading your weight more evenly across the soles of your feet. This helps to avoid spots of increased stress that could result in problems such as corns or calluses.
Some pressure-relieving insoles go one step further and help to reduce pressure under specific areas of the foot with a customisable format. This means you can relieve pressure on areas where you already have a corn or callus, helping to speed up the healing process.
Reducing friction
Another way foot problems can develop is if there is too much friction between your feet and the surfaces they touch. This can happen if you wear socks or shoes that don’t fit well, but it can also occur through walking or running more than you usually do. You can also develop friction problems such as blisters when breaking in new shoes that haven’t yet adjusted to your feet.
Friction-reducing insoles aim to reduce these problems by cushioning your foot and moving with your feet, providing a soft, smooth surface for your feet to rest against. Reducing friction helps to calm irritation and inflammation, as well as giving injuries, such as small cuts or blisters, the time and space they need to heal properly. This can help to reduce the risk of infection.
Improving foot posture
Finally, another way insoles can help to resolve and prevent foot problems is by correcting the posture of your feet. There are plenty of reasons why you might walk with an unusual gait or have a suboptimal posture in your feet, but continuing to do so can put undue stress on other areas of your body. For example, if your feet are positioned in such a way that they don’t take the weight of your body properly, you’ll likely experience pain in the knees, hips and spinal area as these joints take the strain instead.
Posture-correcting insoles are specially shaped in order to make sure your foot takes on the correct posture to support your body well. This type of insole can help issues such as overpronation, fallen arches or supination to alleviate pain and promote a healthy walking gait.
Can you put insoles in any shoe?
As we’ve noted, the fit of your shoes can have a big impact on various foot conditions such as blisters, corns and calluses. If you need to wear insoles on a regular basis, you might be wondering how that will affect the shoes you wear. Can you wear insoles in your usual footwear, or will you need to change your shoes to suit your treatment method?
The good news is that most insoles are customisable to suit a wide range of shoe sizes and shapes. You’ll likely be able to trim or otherwise alter the shape of your insole to fit your desired shoes well and give you support and protection in your usual everyday footwear. It’s a good idea to try your insoles in different shoes to find out which provide the best fit.
However, it’s worth noting that some shoes aren’t ideal for insoles. While shoes with full coverage make it easier to wear insoles without anyone noticing the difference, open top shoes such as sandals and flip flops don’t have that benefit. It’s up to you to decide whether or not you wish your insoles to be visible or not when you’re out and about.
It’s also important to remember that some types of shoes can exacerbate foot conditions. For instance, corns and calluses can be more likely to develop if you wear high heels, particularly those with tight, tapered toe boxes, as these force you to put all your weight on the balls of your feet, increasing the pressure there and potentially rubbing on the sides of your toes. An insole can only do so much in that situation, so it’s best to stick to a flatter style of shoe such as a trainer in order to allow your feet to heal. And if your foot problems keep coming back, think about the comfort and fit of your shoes and consider making a change to promote healthier feet in the long term.
