Can we talk about RUNNING SHOE INSERTS?

You didn't ask a question, but here are my thoughts on inserts. Feet are like snowflakes. No two are alike. Even your left and right foot are not mirror images of each other.

Running shoes are designed to fit the majority of runners, so if you fall on either side of the bell curve for arch height, etc, you're not likely to get a perfect fit.

For runners who need support, I think many would be better off avoiding support shoes and getting a neutral shoe that fits and then adding an aftermarket insert, like Superfeet, just to pick one I've tried in the past.

I replace the factory insert in almost all the shoes I buy. I then make my own orthotics, which I've described several times on LetsRun. Recently, I discovered Temu. It's kinda like Amazon, but it's based in China. You can buy inserts there for ridiculuously low prices... anywhere from $1.50 to $4. I bought about a dozen different styles to try out and then picked the ones that worked best in shoes in my running rotation. Some were too thick for running shoes, but they were better than the original inserts in my boots. All told, I probably bought 20 pairs of inserts that cost about the same as one pair of Superfeet inserts.

Great post and I might be able to take on your advice. Please explain how I did not ask a question?

Unlike this one I'm quoting, your OP doesn't have a question mark, the punctuation we use when asking a question. That was a statement.

Get it? (that's a question)

IF I asked a question for my thread why do I have to ask one in the post? Is this some kind of NEW rule?

Answer the question. The question! John McEnroe, the only tennis player to be named #1 in singles and doubles within the same calendar year for the ATP.

A more skilled writer might have titled the thread "Recommendations for running shoe inserts", and then posted "Could you please suggest some inserts for my situation?" and provide some details etc...

Stick with it kid, you'll get the hang of it.

Hey Jed, this thread became sort of stupid with the back and forth.

Dr. Scholl's are good, cheap, buy them at the supermarket babe.

Can someone explain this feet "needing support" thing? Can you give me an example of what happens when a foot that needs support doesn't have proper support? Is it something you're guessing at because you got an injury in another place, or do you actually feel something missing in your feet or something? What is it?

Fisky above gave a pretty good breakdown of inserts. (And he’s right on the custom vs OTC.. there are studies that show they’re equivalent, even though one costs $20 and the other $300+).

I’ll give you my example. In high school, my main sport was taekwondo. I took a bad fall doing a spin kick in competition, twisted my right ankle in a way that severely injured my right posterior tibialis tendon. (That’s a tendon that wraps under the medial malleolus and inserts into the arch of the foot). My right foot as a result is completely flat with barely any arch. It’s a size 12. My left foot has a normal arch and is more of a size 11.5. I use inserts to make them closer to the same size and prevent asymmetry in my foot strike.

ok. So "support" means taking up slack in ankle tendons that are slack?

2 Questions

Is there a source of compression socks that do not cost $500k?

Any reviews of Tracksmith? Their shoes claim "Pebax insole". I thought Pebax worked as energy return, so it would need to fill the foam under the foot, or it is just flexing the expensive name.

I am looking into this now, thinking this might be helpful for my leg. I have a very similar injury from a soccer tackle and that tendon flares up anytime I try to run causing issues all over the foot, ankle, Achilles, calf. Do you only use one orthotic on that injured leg? Or does using both help keep it aligned?