Can you run with orthotics

Hi Barb, thanks for reaching out. It will be good for you to check with a sports chiropractor, who can hopefully give you a better idea of what is going on. Hope this helps, let us know if we can do anything else to help!

Thanks you for sharing. A year ago I had a severe lisfranc injury involving breaks and dislocation of my midfoot, after getting my cast off I was fitted with orthotics with more support under my metatarsals.

At the beginning they made a world of difference with normal walking. Without them my whole foot would ache. I wear them exercising and when i stand at work all day.

Some people say to keep them and others that they are bad. I guess ill just try and find out! I had a pair of orthotics customer made in December, not to cure any injury, simply my Physio recommended if I wanted to up my mileage getting a good orthotic would prevent future future injury.

After 6 weeks of not running in them just walking I started to run only small distances as prescribed. One month in my ankle started to cause me pain. After being prescribed rest the problem 8 weeks on is still there, plus I now have knee pain. I have had a year of pain, with doctors thinking it was gout, x-rays, blood tests, anti inflamatories etc. I went back to wearing my ones and the pain is slowly going away.

Therefore I recommend you go back to do what you were doing before the pain appeared and see what happens. A doctor once told me that cortisone injections are bad for me and preferred to treat symptoms in other ways so I would stay away from that.

The problem with many custom orthotics is that they try to correct the pronation by increasing the arch pressure. The other thing your body may do is avoid the arch altogether by riding on the outside lateral edge of the foot, this often is the cause of hip and or IT band pain after getting orthotics. As a person who has been making custom orthotics for over 25 years I can assure you that they need to be comfortable.

I am not a salesman, I encourage customers to shop around. After all you can get used to a tack in your shoe if you take enough time…. Hi Neil, thanks for sharing. Great insights from someone who knows it best. That is definitely a great rule, we believe comfort is the number one deciding factor in any kind of footwear choice.

Thank you for being honest, and being real with the readers. This will definitely help runners when considering orthotics in the future. I had plantar fasciitis in my left foot last year and going to a chiropractor helped get rid of it. Earlier this year I got PF in my right foot. I again went to a chiro and it went away but came back. Only recently can I say that there is no pain while running or afterwards.

I wanted to know what was causing it. So I went to a podiatrist who recommended I get custom orthotics. They scanned my feet by walking on a rubber mat which produced a pressure point image. The orthotics would be made from this. At the same time I saw a chiroprator for a gait analysis. Could be a good alternative to try, if your doctor says you need a little bit more support on the inside of your arch, or whatever it may be.

All of that is going to be tremendously more beneficial than throwing an orthotic into your shoe. What my doctor recommended was, to wear them walking around. I was on a big college campus, walked around a whole lot and I would in a sense just walk to class and walk between my classes in these orthotics. Stryd is the first wearable power meter for runners.

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Coach Hayley breaks down some of the research and science to help you determine if. Unfortunately, as evidenced above, there isn't a consensus among the experts. There are steps you can take, though, if you'd like to avoid orthotics or stop using them. They are like aspirin in your footwear. Instead, Gangemi said he believes runners should aim to drill down, find the root cause of pain and wean out of the orthotics.

Cucuzzella agrees. So why would you stay in orthotics? Cucuzzella points to research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine as a reference point for retraining the foot. Senatore disagrees, and says that even in the best case scenario, runners should have "supportive" shoes and that anything less -- a la a minimal shoe -- is harmful. He also doesn't buy that orthotics can weaken the foot.

Similarly, orthotics should be your last option because they are just like any other prescription. Asking questions improves the understanding and outcome of any medical procedure.

Be sure to prepare some questions for your podiatrist as you decide on orthotics. First, you should ask if they customize over-the-counter inserts. This can cut the cost of prescription orthotics by 25 percent. Next, ask if you can run with the orthotics. In some cases, you might want to change podiatrists. One who is also a runner can better understand your need to use orthotics while running.

You might also want to ask if they need to see your running shoes. A good podiatrist will be happy to make adjustments so that the orthotics work as they should. A good way to know if orthotics are working for you is if they are comfortable. Finally, ask your podiatrist to keep the cast they make of your foot. Doing so can allow your podiatrist to refurbish your orthotics every couple years.

Refurbishing can save you some money if you keep the molds to use next time. It can be a little tricky to put orthotics into running shoes. Some can be very bulky, and significantly alter the fit of some running shoes.

In that case, you may need to get a shoe designed to fit an orthotic. Brooks Dyad and Saucony Echelon are two options. Again, you can always ask your podiatrist for options. If they are also a runner, they will be very focused on getting you something that works for running.