Has anyone ever had/used orthotics for a long time period and then been able to condition themselves to not need them? Here’s my issue, about 4 years ago, I got Plantar Fascia (sp?) and tried every kind of shoe insert, etc. to relieve the problem. After doing some research I decided to try some orthotics I ordered over the internet. They were a godsend, (at least I thought so initially), they relieved the plantar fascia pain and allowed me to increase both my mileage and frequency of runs (which had been hampered for about 7 or 8 months while I tried all of the different shoe insert products to no avail).
I still run with the orthotics and have no pain. But here is my gripe and/or problem, I find now that I can no longer wear normal shoes or sandals/flip flops for even a day or two before I start to feel pain in my arch again. This for me is an annoying problem because during the summer I used to practically only wear sandals, etc. Now I find that I have to wear one of my shoes with the orthotics to keep the plantar fascia problem at bay even on days I’m not running.
Is there any way to reduce my dependency on these things or am I stuck with the orthotics now for good?
Thanks in advance,
JC in LA