I believe in anything that works, and orthotics work.
I know so many people who have gotten relief from pain due to orthotics after nothing else had worked for them, so it is hard to argue against their efficacy.
The question is whether you are a good candidate for orthotics and how long you should wear them. I have met people who are using the same orthotics twelve years later.
For some strange reason, many people think they can’t change their feet. They think they are stuck with what they were born with.
Many people fantasize about having a six-pack stomach and then do something about it. I don’t get the same vibe from people with flat feet.
The feet tend to carry with them an unnecessary acceptance of their nature.
Excessive pronation is most often the reason for the prescription of orthotics. Pronation is the inward roll of the foot when you take a step. This is often related to flat feet, but I think bad posture and poor movement patterns are equally to blame.
If I were to run on one of those store treadmills that videotape your footfall, my feet, which have good arches, would pronate excessively if I ran incorrectly, but fall and rise correctly if I ran with good technique.
The orthotic prevents the foot from pronating too much, which is a fine thing. The foot is designed to both pronate and supinate (roll out) with each step.
The foot is a spring arch that rises and drops with every step, and even good orthotics, which have some give to them, don’t allow for enough play for the arch of the foot to work correctly.
Getting rid of your orthotics is not a quick or easy project, but it is a project worth undertaking. It means working to change your feet and calves.
It also means correcting your movement patterns and posture. These are good projects to embrace, and they would serve anyone well for years to come.
If you have unhappy feet, it is most likely because of muscle weakness or tightness in the foot and lower leg. These muscles are easy to work on and develop, you need to know the right muscles and exercises.
If someone wants to move on from their orthotics, it is a more than achievable goal. I have witnessed so many people transition away from inhibition and embrace feet that work freely. No one will fix you but yourself. It involves some work, but perseverance will further.
***