My feet are killing me, especially on the leg that I broke a few years back. Between riding and being on my feet what seems like 24/7 when I’m not at work, I need better support.
Can anyone recommend a good insole? I have no idea where to start. I don’t want to waste money on garbage products lol
I need some for my barn boots and my riding boots. HALP.
My current favorites, recommended by DH’s foot doctor, are from Power Step
I’m using the leftmost ones, ‘Pinnacle’ for heel pain plantar fasciitis, but they have several options:
I favorites are custom orthotics from my podiatrist. Since I only have two pairs, I also use Abeos, but the Power Steps look good too.
I have prescription orthotics. Two pair. One pair is always in my barn boots, the other pair gets shifted to whatever pair of shoes I leave the house in:)
No they weren’t cheap but they are 2+ years old and the best money I have spent on myself in a long time.
The podiatrist did thermal imaging on both feet. The prescription was written from the images — which were eye popping BTW 
Thank you guys! Going to research all these. Maybe I need a podiatrist…hmm.
If you want a temp fix while researching options, ProFoot Miracle insoles might help. I have really bad (deformed from arthritis bad) feet and these are the only insoles that don’t make my feet more sore. They don’t last long, I get maybe three months out of them, but they only cost $9.00 and are the only things that keep me walking.
The local orthopedic surgery clinic sells these. I’ve had them for five years and they are still working well. My podiatrist recommends them. There was another discussion about insoles a while back; maybe you can search for it to get more suggestions.
I’ve used superfeet and find they help a lot. I also like the Birkenstock inserts. the ones I have are not full length but are under your heel and arch.
It wouldn’t hurt to know exactly why your feet hurt, because it will help choosing orthotics. When I had plantar fasciitis, I had to try a bunch of them to see which ones really helped. Some PF insoles I tried were so painful!
The ones that helped me the most were Tacco leather insoles. But it seems these particular ones have been discontinued.
Also, good shoes help, too! I can’t wear “flat” shoes anymore, they have to have some kind of arch support. Clarks, Born, Merrell, Ariat and the like are comfy to me.
I use these at the recommendation from my ortho. I’ve been using them for years. He always said that you need to replace insoles about every 6 months or less depending on use.
I think you need to know why your feet hurt before any insole recommendation will be good for you. If you have heel pain and I don’t, then my recommendation of Aetrex with arch support and a metatarsal pad isn’t going to help you any. A podiatrist can probably help you with that.
If your feet just hurt because you feel like you’re standing on a stiff shoe all day and you want cushion, Ariat insoles are cheap and plush, and SuperFeet are less cheap and also plush and can be found with arch support. If a particular part of your foot hurts, probably best to talk to a pro about that rather than get farriery advice from people on the internet who aren’t looking at your hooves.
I had super bad luck with the Superfeet insoles. They made everything so much more painful, they were out and in the trash within a couple days.
I think insole stuff is trial and error, start with the cheapies to see if they will hold you over until you can get in with a podiatrist.
The sports store where I purchase running shoes does a “gait analysis” which identifies the angles between knee and heel when running using video - yup, like a horse. They sell the appropriate corrective insoles. Since doing this, I can run without my knees and shins becoming very painful.
You probably should see a podiatrist who understands foot balance.
I think they just hurt because I am on them all day on the weekends and from when I get home after work until bed. Then I broke my left leg a few years ago very badly in 4 places around the ankle area, and I had Club feet as a child that I had casted. So I’m thinking it’s all related lol
It’s mostly the balls of my feet that hurt. I wonder if my cheese grater stirrups aren’t helping either.
I should probably go to the foot Dr but honestly the anxiety I have around that is really high and I don’t know if it’s something I can do right now mentally lol
That sounds awesome. I wonder if it’s something I can do virtually with a Dr., I’m thinking prob not. Going to do some research.
I wear muck boots in the barn and ride in mountain horse, which I find have a really cushy foot.
What type of stirrups do you use?
Several years ago my feet started hurting pretty bad, worse while riding and then they got worse while I was not riding. Dismounting became agonizing, and I worried that I would have to stop riding because it was becoming so difficult for me to walk on my own two feet.
I traced my pain to my Fillis stirrups, regular and double offset. I had to change the pads on my Fillis stirrups and I noticed how the top of the foot bed was extremely thin.
I changed to the old type Prussian sided stirrups and my foot pain disappeared completely. I have been riding pain free for years now.
The cheese-grater pads on my Tech Venice Slope stirrups have not irritated the balls of my feet. These stirrups also leave my feet pain free.
I use Lorenzinis on all my saddles. I’m scared they are making my feet hurt worse. Maybe I can change the trend because they are the metal grater type. After breaking my leg they were the only thing I could ride in, might be time for a change though 
I use the Superfeet in my barn boots (I think I have the pink hiking boot ones) but have used more of an arch support type in my riding boots in the past (haven’t for a while but need to as it helps with my toeing out). Like someone else mentioned you need to swap out the insoles semi regularly - I go by the “after X amount of mileage” rule vs months as some shoes get the brunt of the wear and others barely get any steps in them (like my tall boots that don’t get walked in). The same rule applies to shoes as well FWIW. I don’t follow it with my barn boots because who has $$$ to drop on new muck boots every 6-12 months but I did start wearing slip on tennis shoes instead of my muck boots in the barn, when I can (when it’s not too wet/ mud dry/ snowy). The tennis shoes are more supportive and cheaper to replace and have helped with some fatigue and pain I was having.
That’s what I do in the summer, have some super comfy and supportive slip ons. Winter is a bit harder for that lol
I had a lot of foot pain and even after a while Rx orthotics it started not helping. I discussed shoes with a team mate and she said Altra shoes had been a life saver for her.
I have always been skeptical of such things but I got a pair. Instant comfort. They have a neutral foot bed and allow the foot to flair and flex in a natural “barefoot” type configuration. I immediately stopped having issues on a joint that is arthritic and trying to fuse. I have used these shoes for three years now and only have foot pain when I wear a pair of very slight high heeled boots.
My hiking boots are Vasque. I do not hike a lot due to my arthritis but I wear them when I compete and the conditions require sturdy terrain boots.
consider carefully the shoes you wear day to day. It is not necessarily about padding
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