The key to foot pain relief and comfort is finding the right footwear. Although having the right shoes is important, sometimes we need a bit more help to make our feet as comfortable as possible and avoid doing any damage to our feet.
There are a few different conditions that cause foot pain, metatarsal pain andplantar fasciitisare some of the common causes of sore feet.The shape of your feet can also affect how weight is distributed, for example, flat feet and high arches affect your pronation and supination.
You can also develop foot pain from high-impact activities like running or jumping so sports can cause you to develop certain conditions over time without you realising. This is a common cause of heel pain.
Although we've covered a lot of causes and risk factors for foot pain, this is not a full list as there could be other reasons why your feet hurt. Weight is an extremely important factor, we've already mentioned how certain activities can cause foot pain but inactivity can have the same effect.
This is usually made a lot worse if you are overweight or obese because your feet are unable to properly handle the weight you put on them and simply not used to the amount of effort and workload required to move your bodyweight.
In some cases, people are not even aware that it's their footwear that's actually causing their issues or making them worse; it might also be a few things working together to make your feet feel painful. This is where footcare products such as orthotics and insoles may help ease foot problems and manage pain.
What is the difference between orthotics & insoles?
Although they are similar, Insoles and orthotics are not quite the same thing. They both support the feet and help with comfort but insoles offer support to a person's foot by providing cushioning, while orthotics are designed to correct foot problems such as poor alignment or pronation.
Orthotics are also usually custom-made to suit the person wearing them because they are tailored for specific conditions whereas insoles can be designed for specific conditions but aren't as unique as orthotics.
You can however have custom orthotics that are similar to insoles without having to go to a podiatrist, these are called heat-mouldable custom orthotics
What are the benefits of orthotics and insoles?
There are many benefits of using insoles or orthotics. They provide stability for your feet which can help with running or sports performance. They also provide stability for your ankle which can reduce injury risk during activities like running or sports performance. Orthotics and insoles also help to correct your foot mechanics which is important for comfort and pain relief.
How do I choose the right insoles or orthotics?
There are many different types of insoles and orthotics, but it is important to find the right ones for you. You need to consider your foot type and what activities you do so you can understand how the orthotic and insole will help you.
Some are designed for specific purposes, such as running or sports while some are designed for specific conditions or general use. This means that the best type of insole or orthotic is one that is tailored to your needs and lifestyle.
Our Insoles and Orthotics
Vasyli Orthotic Insoles
Features of Vasyli Custom Orthotics
The secret behind Vasyli Custom Orthotics is Triplanar Motion Control. This refers to controlling foot function in all 3 cardinal planes:
- Frontal
- Transverse
- Sagittal
Benefits:
- 1st ray plantar flexor assists function of the 1st ray
- The metatarsal pad assists the function of the metatarsals
- The deep heel cup stabilises the heel position to maximise control
- Sorbon™ shock dot absorbs some force
- Heat moulding for a custom fit
- Rearfoot Angular Restraining Mechanism™
- Sustentacula Tali Control™
- The lateral grid prevents lateral shifting of the heel cup
- Odour and microbial prevention technology
Vasyli Custom Orthotics
These are the medium-density custom orthotics and they are the most popular orthotics available. They are extremely comfortable.
They are designed for typical general orthotic needs to correct pronation and the conditions that require corrected pronation.
They are quite universal as they are unisex and fit in a variety of shoes, they are heat mouldable to fit your feet. They also come as a full-length orthotics option.
Vasyli Custom Orthotics
These custom orthotics are high density and are designed for high performance so they are durable and offer solid control.
Like the medium-density ones, they are heat mouldable.
The higher density makes them great for athletes, sports enthusiasts and people who are overweight or anyone looking for extra comfort.
Like the medium density, you can get them as full-length orthotics as well.
Vasyli Easyfit Custom Orthotics
These are similar to the other custom orthotics from Vasyli except they have a lateral cutaway so that they can easily fit in a wide range of shoes.
They also have an in-built metatarsal pad and so many other features for maximum comfort like shock absorption and a lateral grid on the bottom.
Vasyli Slimfit 2° Custom Orthotics
Specially designed to fit ladies' fashion shoes, including high heels.
Flexible base allows easy contouring of the shank of the shoe. The rearfoot angle is reduced to 2 degrees due to the high heel factor.
A built-in metatarsel raise ensures correct alignment of the metatarsels
bones.
Vasyli Dananberg Orthotics
These are everyday orthotics designed for improving your overall posture and reducing stress on the lower back muscles.
They are customisable and the first ray plugs under the big toe are removable to improve foot function.
They are the most popular orthotics that we sell that aren't custom orthotics.
Vasyli McPoil Stress Relief
These are meant to help correct over or excess pronation with a higher density orthotic shell.
They provide tissue stress relief and this helps with conditions such as anterior knee pain, plantar fasciitis, lower leg and foot arch pain.
They have various features that help to take some stress off your feet and relieve foot pain.
Please take a look at our plantar fasciitis buyers guide to see McPoil's studies and academic articles.
Vasyli Prior Sports Orthotics
The Vasyli Prior orthotics are perfect for sports, they have an ultra-slim design so they can fit low-profile shoes like football boots and other tight-fit shoes.
The heel raise helps with tight posterior muscles, it has other features like a smart medial wedge and a medial arch contour.
The high-density EVA shell is also heat mouldable like other Vasyli orthotics.
Vasyli Hoke Orthotics
The Vasyli Hoke orthotics are for supination control so they are designed to support high arch feet that roll outward.
High arches also cause plantar fasciitis so these insoles are perfect if this is the cause of your plantar fasciitis.
The shape of the orthotics also makes them helpful for tight arches or limited ankle range of motion.
Correcting supination is important for pain relief and comfort.
Footactive Insoles and Orthotics
Footactive is another good range of orthotics and insoles, they have a few options of shoe inserts designed for specific purposes and conditions but they also have options for more general use.
Footactive Sports Insoles
These insoles are designed specifically for sports with maximum support and cushioning for running, playing sports and general activity.
The biomechanical support and lower limb realignment help you to stay active for longer.
They fit easily into most sports shoes and be cut to fit a football boot.
They offer benefits such as correcting overpronation and realignment which reduce foot pain, heel pain, knee pain and even lower back pain.
Footactive Plantar Fasciitis Insoles
These shoe insoles are for plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia (metatarsal pain) and Achilles tendonitis.
Plantar fasciitis can be quite a painful condition so proper support and corrective orthotic insoles are important for the day-to-day management of the condition.
The deep heel cups, shock-absorbing pads and high arch support mean maximum comfort for your feet.
They fit a wide range of shoes and can even be cut to fit the shoes better.
Footactive Orthotics - Approved by NHS
Footactive medical orthotics are approved by the NHS, they are designed to correct over-pronation, flat feet and fallen arches.
They can help to relieve heel pain and heel spurs (plantar fasciitis), fallen arches, aching feet, lower back and knee pain. People with flat feet are also at risk of experiencing shin splints, so it can happen to reduce shin splints.
They do this by providing strong arch support and metatarsal support, the deep heel cups help to provide additional biomechanical support.
These also come as 3/4 length medical orthotics.
Footactive Comfort - NHS Approved
These full-length orthotic insoles are NHS approved for plantar fasciitis, heel pain and achilles tendonitis.
They are intended to fit most types of shoes including work boots and walking boots.
These shoe inserts feature a strong arch support, deep heel cups and metatarsal support which work together to provide you with maximum comfort and the best support.
Footactive Casual Insoles
These are 3/4 length shoe insoles that can be used to treat heel pain, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis and fallen arches.
They feature a medium arch support which is extremely durable and a metatarsal pad for added comfort.
The podflex heel pad and deep stabilising heel cups help provide more comfort and reduce the impact on your feet when walking or running.
Since they are casual shoe inserts they are perfect for more general use but fit slip-on shoes better.
Footactive Nature Insoles
These shoe inserts are great for people who do a lot of walking or who spend a lot of time on their feet.
Like other Footactive shoe insoles, they have a strong arch support, deep heel cups and metatarsal support.
This means they can be used for treating conditions like plantar fasciitis, heel pain, heel spurs, ball of foot pain and Achilles tendonitis.
As the name suggests, they are perfect for your outdoor walks and easily fit in trainers, running shoes or walking boots.
Footactive Football Insoles
These shoe insoles are meant to realign the feet and correct over-pronation. They are quite thin and intended to fit most types of football, rugby, hockey and cycling shoes.
They provide a lot of comfort while playing sports by cushioning the feet and reducing the impact of running.
The arch support helps to correct over-pronation and like other Footactive orthotic insoles; they have a metatarsal pad.
Footactive workmate insoles
These shoe insoles are great for people who have to spend the whole day on their feet.
Because of the lack of comfort in a lot of work boots or shoes for specific jobs, these shoe insoles aim to make your shoes more comfortable and feet less painful.
The cushioning and support of these orthotic insoles help re-align the foot and ankle which also helps with stability.
Vasyli Add-ons
Here's a full list of all the add-ons you can get to make your Vasyli orthotic insoles more customisable which gives you more control over comfort and helps you to treat specific conditions better.
- Metatarsal Pad 5pr
- Forefoot Valgus 4°
- Forefoot Valgus 6°
- Forefoot Varus 2°
- Forefoot Varus 4°
- Heel Lift 4mm Small
- Heel Lift 6mm Large
- Heel Lift Large 4mm
- Heel Lift Medium 4mm
- Rearfoot Varus 2° 5pr
- Rearfoot Varus 4° 5pr
