Insoles are a type of orthotic that we insert into the bottom of our shoes before we wear them. Essentially, orthotics are devices that that we wear that influence how our skeletal structure move and function.
Wearing insoles bring benefit to an athlete through three mechanisms: improving recovery, aligning the skeleton, providing a cushion, improving stability, and maximizing comfort.
In this article, we will analyze each mechanism and provide research articles as evidence.
What are the advantages of an insole?
Insoles undoubtedly do have benefits, based on the research available today. However, we have to be careful when reading through the internet, as some alleged benefits are too good to be true.
Here is a concise list of five benefits retrieved from an excellent article titled Shoe Inserts and Orthotics for Sports and Physical Activities from the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Canada.
1. Improves recovery and prevents injury
In this article from the University of Calgary, Canada, they analyzed multiple literature in regard to orthotics and their effect on sports. About 8 out of 10 people would respond positively when orthotics are used to treat their injuries.
It’s not really clear-cut how orthotics do this, but we do know that the same orthotics can be used for a variety of injuries and problems.
Secondly, in Prevention and Treatment of Running Injuries, a book by Robert D’Ambrosia, runners that were given properly fitted orthoses had a reduction in running-related injuries.
In another study published on behalf of the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society, we learn that a specific orthotic insole is needed for different types of foot arches.
For a person with a low foot arch, an orthotic would reduce their risk of metatarsal stress fractures. On the other hand, a person with a high foot arch would see a lesser risk of femoral stress fractures.
From this, we can conclude that the use of an orthotic insole can clearly benefit a person in sports because they:
- improve recovery from injury
- reduce running-related injuries
- reduce metatarsal stress fractures for a low-arched foot
- reduce femoral stress fractures for a high-arched foot
On the topic of a low-arched foot, we have written an article about flat foot and how it affects sports performance. The findings that we included in that article correlate with what we just discussed.
Over-use injuries such as runner’s knee, shin splints, and plantar fasciitis are common especially in runners. Luckily, Dr. Scholl’s have a great set of options for both men and women.
2. Aligning the skeleton
The skeletal system is what holds together the foundation of the body. It’s made up of bones in different sizes and density, all serving a similar objective: moving effectively.
One of the proposed benefits of an orthotic is that it aligns the skeleton properly. Not everyone has the perfect skeletal structure from the tip of their head all the way down to their feet. Even a small misalignment can damage performance.
The misalignment that is most often discussed in academia is those relating to the arch of the foot.
When a building has a weak base, then cracks can form in the walls that climb up even until the ceiling. The same is for the human body. If the feet arches are not optimal, the shins, knees, and thigh bones twist and turn to compensate, creating pain and injuries.
In an article titled A Survey of Overuse Running Injuries, they concluded that numerous knee injuries, and even other injuries caused by running with a varus misalignment of the foot (or in other words, a high arch), can get back to running as soon as 2 weeks with the use of soft orthotic made from plastazote and 1/8 inch orthopedic felt.
Here is a list of injuries that are common in those with a varus misalignment:
- Patellofemoral syndrome
- Tibial stress syndrome
- Achilles peritendinitis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Patellar tendinitis
In the study, these runners were also recommended Dr. Scholl’s runner’s wedge or a Spenco orthotic arch support. These orthotic inserts benefitted these runners by aligning the skeleton which accelerated their recovery time and even allowed them to increase their training without getting injured again.
To conclude, here is how aligning the skeleton through the use of orthotics benefit an athlete:
- prevent injuries relating to varus misalignment
- improve recovery time
- allow increase of training volume without recurring injury
3. Cushioning
The third benefit that orthotics bring to the table is cushioning. A cushion dampens impact. In the context of athletes, cushioning reduces the impact that their feet receive when they land on the ground.
The theory is that when cushioning is there, injuries that are caused by over-use of the feet can be reduced. A common injury in this category would be fractures.
In the American Journal of Sports Medicine, a research article was published in 1990 that proved this theory.
They conducted a study among new military recruits, because these people are prone to over-use injuries having just started military training. They gave these recruits soft insoles made of neoprene over the course of 9 weeks of military training.
The results were that those wearing these insoles have a significantly lower risk of over-use injuries such as tibial stress syndrome, compared to the control group which did not wear insoles.
This begs the question: how much impact can be reduced with the use of insole orthotics?
Experts say the impact reduction is between 10%-20%. Even a small reduction would serve well for a person dedicated to their sport.
From this information we conclude that orthotics provide cushioning that:
- reduce over-use injuries
- reduce impact received by the feet by 10%-20%
4. Stability
Under the skin of our palms and soles, there are receptors that sense pressure and vibration. The receptors that detect vibration are called Merkel cells, the receptors that detect low frequency vibration are called Meissner corpuscles, and the receptors that detect high frequency vibration are called Pacinian corpuscles.
Regardless of their names, we are concerned about how these cells help us adapt when we move about.
When we step our foot on the ground, these cells detect even the smallest changes to pressure and vibration and send signals to our brain. Unconsciously, we respond by changing our footsteps ever so slightly.
For example, when the surface we step on is soft, we compensate by stepping harder. On the other hand, when we step on a hard surface, our step is a little bit lighter.
A harder step might not be preferable in some cases, as it can negatively impact our stability.
In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers tested out how different midsoles of shoes affect participants’ stability when walking along a narrow 9-meter beam.
The participants walked along the beam seven times: once barefoot, and another six times with shoes that differ in midsole thickness and hardness.
What they found were that the thicker and softer the insoles are, the more likely these participants would lose balance and fall off the beam. Conversely, a thinner and harder insole would maximize stability.
A separate study from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society also agreed with these findings, and I quote:
“shoes with thin, hard soles provide better stability for men than those with thick, soft midsoles.”
Robbins, S., Waked, E., Allard, P., McClaran, J. and Krouglicof, N. (1997), Foot Position Awareness in Younger and Older Men: The Influence of Footwear Sole Properties. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 45: 61-66. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1997.tb00979.x
From this, we can conclude that for an athlete that wants to maximize their stability, an insole with a hard material is preferable.
However, it’s not fair to ditch the soft insoles altogether, as they work well for athletes recovering from injuries and want a faster recovery.
5. Comfort
Finally, last piece of the puzzle on insoles is that they’re simply comfortable.
Comfort is not an easy term to define, as it’s very subjective. However, we can define some qualifications that makes an insole comfortable.
Firstly, a comfortable insole fits perfectly with your foot. This can be achieved by going to a podiatrist and have a custom orthotic made especially for you.
Secondly, a comfortable insole provides additional stability. This point has been discussed in the stability section of this article.
Thirdly, a comfortable insole reduces shock vibrations from activities. This has been discussed in the cushioning section of the article.
There is lacking research in regard to clear-cut ways to measure comfort. However, we do have research that simply compile participants’ perceived comfort when wearing insoles.
In an article published in the journal Ergonomics, participants surprisingly preferred prefabricated insoles compared to custom-made insoles when it comes to comfort. We would think that custom-made insoles would be much more comfortable, but that seems to not be the case.
Even though this blog post focuses mainly on sports, I think it’s worth mentioning that there even is a study between wearing high-heeled shoes alone and wearing high-heeled shoes together with prefabricated insoles.
Both of these studies highlighted prefabricated insoles being the choice of insole to maximize comfort. However, they do agree that wearing orthotics is definitely more comfortable than wearing none at all.
For better comfort when wearing shoes, we recommend Dr. Scholl’s have insoles. They have excellent options for both men and women.
Conclusion
While there are multiple reason’s that you should get your own orthotic insoles, it’s best to consult a podiatrist before making that decision. Not everyone needs to wear and insole, and it’s not like they are some sort of cheat code into sports. Poorly made orthotics that do not suit your feet well can even damage your performance and mess up your feet in the long run.
But if you have a misaligned foot and constantly have feet, leg, and even back pain, then an orthotic is your best bet.
Here in footforsole.com, we recommend orthotics by Dr. Scholl’s. They manufacture amazing products that suit your daily needs from active running to daily comfort.
