Does Wearing Arch Supports Make Your Feet Weaker?

Can wearing arch supports or properly constructed orthotics make your feet weaker?
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[@truthpopup]

I'm 74 and grew up in the 1950s when shoes were all leather, had flexible leather soles, and insoles were flat, with little or no arch support. Even sneakers had flexible rubber soles and flat insoles, with little or no arch support. When manufactured shoes with stiff, molded outsoles and contoured insoles came out in the 1970s, I could not get used to wearing them, and to this day, I always look for flexible, flat-soled shoes. My feet simply do not want to conform to the shape of a mass-produced, contoured insole. The human foot evolved over millions of years of people walking barefoot, or wearing moccasins with flexible, flat soles, on flat ground. Ask any person who has foot problems if they are comfortable walking barefoot on a carpet, and probably most will say yes.

[@ben4376]

I absolutely need my orthotics. I have OA in the metatarsal area of my left foot and there is no way I would be able to go for my week day walks without them. The real hassle is when you receive orthotics that you really like and then in the future you have to deal with a new orthotics lab and they don't make them the same. I have orthotics from Anodyne that I really, really love. However, now I am trying to get the right orthotics made at KLM Laboratory and the podiatrist has had to send them back for a third time because the lab won't do what he specifies.

[@meagiesmuse2334]

I feel the same way about my Birkensport runners orthotics. I have severe bunionettes and can't walk at all in bare feet or stand in a bathtub without a garden kneeler under my feet. I have to keep my foot totally still in my shoes to walk without severe pain. Wearing them allows me to exercise daily.

[@p4h10oso]

Ok, gonna wear my prescribed arch supports all the time instead of part time. Thank you!

[@chrristineq]

Ok, so orthotics are like eyeglasses. I do do exercises for my feet because why not? But as I age my feet hurt more and I guess I need to find a podiatrist who is willing to prescribe orthotics, which unfortunately cost $$$ and that cost isn’t covered by my insurance. I don’t know of any DPM in my area who works from a mold of the foot, but I do know of a pedorthist. Thanks for that eyeglass analogy.

[@samuelray7271]

I hope you found a solution to your Orthotics! I know many Orthotists who still do custom orthotic work with molds of feet. They work alongside pedorthists usually

[@joespag26]

I’ve been wearing Zero Drop Shoes over two years now and my arches never felt or looked better !

[@dominicdominic8553]

Hi Doc, do you think toe spacers work to improve toe mobility and gait in the long run?

[@markuse3472]

I concur! Yes, I agree with three ~> !!! I always have, even when "experts" were/are saying otherwise: sometimes reason defeats traditions. Many people give the example of walking bare-foot as a better, healthier choice, comparing track & field runners not wearing big shoes, arches, etc. Of course they don't, they are trying to win and having some extra weight wont help their cause. There are also people with poor blood flow to their feet, meaning they are not able to build much more, if any more, muscle down there. On another matter, I am overall against knee braces for recovery, specially those with steel rods on the sides: it does not take away ANY weight but instead makes people carry more weight on their knees and feet. For temporary pain relief, as in for waking for exercise yes, I would use the ones without the steel rods.

[@bilguana11]

I use copper Superfeet. They work wonders.

[@anielyantra1]

I wear walk fit arch supports, love them! Pair them with zero drop wide toe box shoes and you have a winner!

[@Shadowx011]

I have not even watched the video yet but I will just say that if they do indeed make your feet weaker…I don’t want to be right. …ever since I have been wearing nice aftermarket insoles…I love the feeling when I am just walking around as opposed to how my feet would get worn out with long walks. …not to mention the added benefit of less pain on my back and feet. 😎 I do walk around my house bare footed so perhaps this is enough to keep them strong. 🤷‍♂️

[@ewilson9661]

I was just cast for custom inserts ... They cast me the same way as they did for AFO's. Seated with feet on the floor, wet cast method wrap and adjustment. They then cut it off. I have had the box. It was nOt good at all. Is the seated wet wrapping method the best?

[@frugalfoot4973]

I have a whole series of videos on custom orthotics that can explain it to you.

[@amigadecachorros]

Even our feet have to suffer from our American pull yourself up by the bootstraps mentality. Even if you believe in “foot strengthening” there Is some time between weak feet to getting a foot conditioned. And then there might be times when your feet are weaker and an orthotic can help. I say this as someone who got orthotics at 24 and then proceeded to train my feet while I watched tv!😂