Why Sole Supports?

Foot pain and orthotics

With all the different products advertised for relief of foot pain and deformities, picking the right one for your needs can be confusing and difficult. The truth is there are quite a few people that suffer from foot ailments who are anxiously looking for a solution – some willing to try anything. It is also sadly true that the vast majority of products currently sold as foot pain solutions are useless, especially in regards to eliminating the problem long-term. So how do you find what is right and effective for you?

The main problem: Over-pronation (flat feet)

If you are like the majority of people with some degree of arch loss, either from birth or over time, there are some critical facts you need to know before you can make an informed decision. All of the common foot problems, such as bunions, plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, calluses and corns, etc. are usually caused by the lack of enough arch in the foot when we are standing, walking and running (weight-bearing activities). There are a number of reasons why most of us have some degree of flat feet, but mostly it comes down to body weight, gravity and concrete. The first two are constantly flattening the foot down against the hard surfaces we live on. The ligaments that support the bones of the foot get stretched out and our arches drop.

Standard orthotics             Sole Supports

Orthotics before Sole Supports

Typical custom orthotics are made based on some unproven assumptions about how to control the foot that seem to defy real-world engineering and the laws of physics. These are blindly followed simply because they are “industry standard”, not because they have been proven effective. In fact, the majority of medical studies done on the effectiveness of standard custom orthotics compared with off-the-shelf cushions or other treatments have demonstrated that they are either no better or worse!

Standard custom orthotics use wedges under the heel and forefoot to try to correct foot function because that is traditional teaching. Usually the arches in these orthotics are minimal, partly because manufacturers are concerned that the casts they receive from practitioners are unreliable, and partly because the flatter the orthotic, the less chance the user will be uncomfortable. Because they avoid full and dynamic arch support, they cannot be effective in preventing arch collapse. So, they end up merely being expensive. If you have flat feet, try standing on a small wedge and see if it holds your arch up!

Sole Supports: New technology

The real question, then, is what is the best way to hold the arches up, correct the way our feet work, and fight body weight, gravity and concrete? That is how we can appreciate the difference between Sole Supports and typical custom orthotics. Sole Supports were designed like an engineer would design the best way to build a bridge, looking at the real forces involved and how best to manage them.

There are three critical things that an orthotic has to have in order to be effective. First, orthotics must capture the properly corrected position of the foot: as high an arch as the foot can make with heel and forefoot flat on the ground. Second, the orthotic must make full contact with the entire foot in this position, especially with the corrected arch position, in order to have the mechanical power and efficiency to control the foot. Third, the orthotic must be rigid enough to maintain this corrected position against the per-son’s weight and gravity and yet flexible enough to “give” the right amount with impact. To accomplish these three main goals, he developed a completely new casting technique to get the right custom foot mold, found new materials that could offer the right blend of rigidity and flexibility for every individual foot, then invented a machine that could custom calibrate the right support. He now spends most of his time training healthcare practitioners, most of whom have had traditional orthotic training, the how and why of Sole Supports.

Top image: Normal Arch           Bottom image: Over-Pronated Arch

Other Problems: Over-Supination

(High-Arched, Rigid feet)

A small percentage of people have the opposite problem: their arches are too high and rigid due to congenitally tight bone structure. Their feet are very poor shock absorbers and all the force of body weight and gravity gets concentrated on a few points at the bottom of their feet. Dr. Glaser discovered that his full contact orthotic design was also quite effective for this foot type because it redistributes foot pressure evenly across the entire sole of the foot. For the first time, people with this more unusual foot problem now have a custom orthotic solution.

The results

Hopefully, now you can understand that all orthotics are not alike. Sole Supports are proud to be setting a new, effective standard for foot relief that helps prevent as well as treat all the

common foot and even leg or back conditions caused by poor foot function. That is why our company motto is “We Make People Better”! Ask your health provider if Sole Supports may be helpful for you.

Main reasons Sole Supports are different:

Conform perfectly to your arch for support

• Custom calibrated for your weight & activity levels (a Sole Supports exclusive!)
• Engineered to actually change foot posture & function —not just provide cushioning
• Captures the foot in the ideal position for weight-bearing activities
• Top quality materials