The term “shoe insoles” is commonly used to describe both cushions and arch supports that are placed in the shoe. While it is true that both items are inserted into the shoe, they both have two very different purposes.
1. Cushions are for the most part soft, spongy rubber type material in the shape of the inside of a shoe. They are cut and sized for the shoe and when placed in a shoe, act as cushioning or shock absorber for your feet when you walk, run, jump, etc.
2. Arch supports, on the other hand, are generally made from a harder, sturdier material in a variety of different shapes and sizes that relate to your feet, not to your shoes. The purpose of an arch support is to support your foot’s arches and hold your foot in its most “ideal” foot position. This gives you better balance and stability and offers relief from foot and back pain caused by fallen arches or flat feet.
Since no two feet are alike, and roughly 85% of the population suffers from foot pain, its easy to see why it is important to have arch supports personally fit to your feet.
It’s not just foot pain that shoe insoles like arch supports can help alleviate. A lot of people say their lower back pain, leg pain, knee pain and even neck and shoulder pain have also been eliminated after having arch supports custom sized to their feet.
Balance and alignment are the key factors to making these pains go away. If your feet are out of balance, your weight isn’t evenly distributed across your skeletal frame, causing everything all the way up your body to be out of alignment. This is what can create the problems and pains all the way from your neck, down your back, through your legs, to your feet.
Just like it is important to build a house on a properly balanced foundation, your own foundation – your feet – must be in their most ideal position. If you have foot, back, leg or neck pain, you too could join the many people who have found relief. Whether you call them shoe insoles, or arch supports, be sure to have some personally fitted to your feet.