Thinking I need orthotics to deal with a nagging achilles issue and am interested everyone’s experience regarding the pros and cons of hard vs soft orthotics?
thanks,
Jack
i have soft ones, and have had them for 7 years now. i couldn’t run without them because i have very flat feet, so naturally i highy recommend them! I think the hard ones are way to hard for running. they might be ok for cycling, but i just have my sports doctor shave down a pair of old soft ones to put in my cycling shoes. good luck!
I’ve never used soft, only hard. I ran just fine with them.
I have used both soft and hard orthoditics, including ones from a poditrist, those from esoles, and the ones you get at the run/bike shops. For running, the hard ones are by far the superior alternative as they do a much better job (they don’t break down or compress) and do a much better job of protecting your injury. For cycling (and you should use them for cycling if you have a running problem) the soft ones work fine. It is also best to put some in most of your walking around shoes (soft ones are fine). The hard ones from a poditrist are custom made for your feet and work the best. The esoles while custom made but don’t fit well at all.
Honestly, it all depends on what the problem is and why you need the orthotics.
Are you just looking for over the counter insoles or custom orthos? I highly recommend getting checked out by a professional that can help you determine what you need. It’s best if that person also makes or has close association with the makes of the orthos so that they can be fully customized and/or changed quickly after you get them to make sure they are right.
I have used carbon fiber orthotics for about 4 years with success. They are only “half length” but are incredibly light and versatile. Most podiatrists know of someone who can get them for you. PM me if I can help you with whom I got mine from.
The carbon fiber type are expensive but save at least half of the weight. I was able to use a prescription to cover almost all of my cost plus he had them for me in a week!
As others mentioned, it really depends upon what you are trying to accomplish with the orthotic/device. I make them from polypropylene, polydor, graphite, carbon fiber, leather, varying densities of foam, neoprene, spenco and about any combination of the above. Also, depends upon the persons “tolerance” to the device and the shoes (i.e. I see a lot of figure skaters and have to make a very specific device for their skates - actually, most of the good ones have very expensive custom made skates around my orthotics once they get them for the ultimate in fit! Too bad these girls are often still growing! I’m amazed at what parents will buy for their little ice angles).
Ya’know rroof, it would be great if you could write a little piece for Dan on the subject of orthotics.
Frankly, one of the most common problems I encounter in bike fitting is the large quantity of people who walk in the door with devices in their bike shoes that have no business being anywhere near a bike, but have such a large price tag attached to them that the customer feels a cumpulsive need to stuff them in the shoe anyways.
There is a lot of confusion, misapplication, over and mis-prescription, and downright snake oil peddling going on out there, and you could do a pretty big service by putting some advice out there in a front page type format…
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That is not a bad idea … but, the complexity of such a piece would likely negate any benefit of the average reader. But, perhaps not. I’ve certainly learned that most STers are far more analytical/intelligent than the general population for sure. Also, as in bike fitting, experts are not in complete agreement re: orthotic efficacy (in fact I just back from an orthotic/biomechanics conference in San Diego with lots of PhDs from the UK, Canada, Belgium and the US debating all sorts of this stuff - but NOTHING about cycling for sure).
The main issue is that most orthotics are primarily designed for controlling subtalar joint (rearfoot) motion during midstance. This is great, but has little to nothing to do with cycling! Just jamming your “running” or regular orthotics into one’s cycling shoes makes no sense biomechanically. Also, most cycling lower extremity issues are either forefoot complaints (numbness, ball of foot pain), achilles/soleus pain, and medial/lateral knee pain.
I need to give some thoughts about marrying a company like Rocket7 and a good orthotic lab to make truly custom cycling shoes that WORK like the figure skaters do with their skates. These girls (some guys) are in those skates for hours a day - no different than cyclists - and pay up to a grand for custom stuff. I know there is a market out there for this for cyclists (Rocket7 has tried to capture this, but they really are only making some cool shoes) since a good cycling shoe is over $250 anyway!
I had hard orthotics (casted) 20 years ago and they worked for a good number of years and I guess I changed and then they didn’t. I pronate in the right foot but am pretty much neutral in the left. Went with nothing for awhile but that was not the answer either (i.e., right AT was always about one off but not really injured). I went to Lynco in 1998 and in combination with Gel Kayno 11’s have been really happy. I think less is more in this area until it is proven that you need more. You might want to consider giving them a shot. They run true to size and are good for 1500 miles or so. I also use them in my bike shoes. Best.
http://www.foot.com/shopping/index.php?cPath=31_30_40
With the way that technology changes what would you recommend for long distance tri guy with 5-6mm leg length imbalance? I’ve been given the choice of a plastic or carbon fiber.
Thanks
With the way that technology changes what would you recommend for long distance tri guy with 5-6mm leg length imbalance? I’ve been given the choice of a plastic or carbon fiber.
Thanks
digging up an old thread I see!
Can’t answer that since I don’t know what the “orthotic” is trying to do other than a 5-6mm (which I don’t know even how that tiny amount was measured with any certainty and falls within the normal range of about everyone) LLD. You can certainly just use a 6mm heel lift to get the desired effect.
As a user who has tried all varieties I much prefer the custom, hard plastic orthotics. I PM’ed RROOF this morning to provide an observation that I’ve had in the last couple of days. In summary, I’m 11 weeks post fracture of the 5th metatarsal. Prior to the fx I used hard plastic orthotics that my DPM made for me about 7 years ago. I used them for running. After removing the cast about a week ago I fiddled around with different soft orthotics (SOLES, Pinnacle, Superfeet, etc). The fx area still was uncomfortable for walking and I suspected it might be because the soft orthotics were too forgiving and also that the alignment wasn’t right. I stuck my hard orthotics in my shoes and have experienced a new level of being pain free. I’m pretty convinced that it’s been worth the $250 I paid 7 years ago.
Yup digging up an old threads gets me past the the "hey, how come you didn’t look through old posts or you may want to check this one out …old slowtwitch post.
When I start upping the mileage I without orthotics I tend to get achilles and sometimes pain across the top of my foot. I’ve tried OTC’s which didn’t work too well. I had some by Hangar that got me throught a season but failed shortly there after.
Jim - thank you for the feedback. I haven’t had much luck with the soft orthotics either. I was curious if there was a difference between the hard plastic and the carbon fiber. My doc mentioned that the plastic was not as durable but better for running as it flexes more and is able to dampen the impact.
I tried Hangar orthotics but the plastic seemed to morph over the season and was actually uncomfortable at the end. I had changed shoes during the year to account for their wear. I guess I should have had the orthotics refreshed as well.