I work out a lot, but I'm built kinda like a linebacker, and find that after doing stairmaster or treadmill, my feet are usually pretty sore in the arch area. So, I'm a prime candidate for needing more arch support, something that Superfeet are supposed to give you.
They do cup your heel just about right and follow the shape/last of the shoe well. Properly-sized, they will give you MODERATELY more support/less soreness, though they certainly don't eliminate sorenessthey're no magic bullet. Still, better than other inserts I've tried.
The one thing I don't like (aside from them being a bit pricey for what they are) is that Superfeet's idea of what is a high or low-arched foot is a bit off. No matter what it says on the box, the various Superfeet models actually work out like this (as of their early '09 lineup):
GreenSUPER high-arched insoles, only good for ppl with REALLY high arches, will be torture for anyone else who has 'em on their feet for more than a few minutes. Gitmo-approved. o_0
BlueIt says "ideal for low to medium-arched feet" on the back of the box, but its more like 'ideal for medium to high' arches, actually. I have fairly low-arched (but not flat) feet, and while the blues felt okay in the store, after using them for a few days it was quite obvious that these were *not* it. I felt like I was walking around in high heels or something... definitely TOO MUCH arch support, to the point of being mildly painful. Not good.
BlackThese are allegedly for 'flat or sensitive' feet. I'd say instead they're the TRUE Superfeet product for low-arched feet. These are the ones that ultimately ended up working for me, but I am annoyed that I wasted money on the blues. In fact, the salesperson had tried to talk me into the GREENS at first, even after seeing my feet, but a few laps around the store showed me the horror of that. WTH?
Basically, what I think is going on is that what Superfeet is trying to sell you is SUPPORT, so they want to get you into the highest/'most supportive' insoles they can, so that you go, "Gee, wow, what a difference, so much support."
The problem with that, of course, is that you end up basically KILLING your feet, because going too high in the arch on these things will just mess you up, ESPECIALLY if you're heavier-than-average, like me. What feels about right in the store will seem TOO HIGH after a few days, trust me.
In short, these are moderately helpful, and deserve kudos for being better than most other insoles out there, but go one support/height level LOWER than what the box tells you, particularly if you're heavier than average (muscle or fat).
Again, IGNORE THE BOX, the REAL sizing is:
greens for very high arches
blue for medium or high arches
blacks for low arches (anything even slightly below medium, really)
Flat feet, I dunno, likely just a *shoe* with good arch support, no special insoles.
Hope this is helpful.
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I benefited a great deal from reviews. So I want to contribute this feedback to help people who suffer the same heel pain.
I suffered from heel pain and didn't know what it was. I kept buying jell shoe insert to no avail. I finally went to my family doctor who quickly diagnosed it to be Plantar Fasciitis and prescribed Superfeet. (I am not a podiatrist, so take it as it is worth: the telltale of Plantar Fasciitis is that it hurt a lot when I got up in the morning then it became better after a few steps.) I took a look at Superfeet and didn't believe it because Superfeet was simply a "piece of very hard plastic" for close to $40 while other inserts were only $10.
Furthermore, when I gave Superfeet a try, buying exactly my shoe size, selecting a random arch, it hurt even more. Through trials and errors, I found a method that will help.
Some other reviewers wrote about ignoring the shoe size and going for the right fit of the foot arch. I cannot emphasize this enough. It doesn't matter what the size of Superfeet is, when you have the right one, the contour of Superfeet should fit the curve under your foot arch perfectly. The rest of Superfeet could be trimmed.
There are two critical factors: 1) the right arch (flat, low, medium, or high arch) and 2) the right fit of the foot from the heel forward. Superfeet has different colors for different arches. It is too much trouble to define whether you have a low, or medium or high arch. Just try on several Superfeet sizes and several colors (for the arch) until you find the Superfeet that fits your heel and your arch perfectly. The rest of the insert can be trimmed. This is difficult if you buy online. So find a store that sells Superfeet to try out, and if they have a good price, give them the business. If not, there are Amazon.com and other online stores.
There are a few more conditions to make it a success and no pain: when you trim the inserts, trim slowly. You cannot untrim what you cut too short. The right way is to trim it so that Superfeet is about 1/16" to 1/8" *smaller* than your inner sole toward the front/toes. After inserting Superfeet, you can put your hand and fingers into the shoe to feel the gap around the insert toward the front. In other words, Superfeet will need to be able to move a little not a lot while you walk, so that it fits perfectly under your foot. You can experiment the exact size of the insole to find out for yourself. You can always trim it smaller. Also, please remember to remove the removable insole. Believe me. I thought leaving the insole I would get some cushioning to assist this hard plastic. Not true. Superfeet needs to rest on hard sole to provide the balance you need to relieve the pain.
Hope your experience is as pleasant as mine and that you won't have to pay a lot for customed orthotics.
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I spent a summer working on my feet 16 hours a day, 7 days a week and by September, had incredible pain in my feet. From the heels to where the arch of the foot is. So much that I was curling my feet, trying to walk on the outer edges of them to minimize the pain. I researched orthotics and found these, but decided to see my doctor first. Well I could have saved my $30 co-pay, because he recommended that I buy these from the hospital's drugstore!
It's very easy to fit these to your shoes. I just pulled out the insert that came with my shoe, and traced it onto the back of the Superfeet using a Sharpie. Then I cut it out on the inside of that line, very carefully. No problems, just don't do it hastily because you don't want to cut them too short and end up paying double.
They don't look like much, they're a relatively thin insert (compared to those 'regular' brands like Dr. Scholls that are heavily padded), so I was really skeptical that they'd have any impact. But they work! They're the only thing that's allowed me to be able to walk the 10 minutes to school without any issues. Before I used these, it was so painful just standing in the shower. I find that if I'm doing lengthy housework (barefooted) that my feet just begin to have a dull ache, especially in the heel. So sometimes I use the Superfeet designed for women's flats, and walk around in cotton flats.
I've been really surprised at how well these work. I didn't know why I doubted these to begin with, because the Dr. Scholls and others I've tried did absolutely nothing! It's been 9 months I can't imagine going anywhere without wearing these. If I'm walking for 1+ hours, my feet will ache a bit, but nowhere near where they were before. Well worth the $35, and this coming from a broke college student.
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I tried Dr Scholls and Orthpidics shoe insoles and Superfeet is far superior to both. But it is also 2-3 times the cost of either one.
I am an avid golfer and I like to walk the golf course as an exercise. Becuase walking through an 18 hole golf course is equivalent to walking 2 miles in 4 hours, the foot can be very sore afterwards. To allevitate my footpain, I decided to use Superfeet in a very comfortable Nike golf shoe.
Superfeet was way more comfortable than either Dr Scholls or Orthipidics in the same shoe. Furthermore, my foot was hardly sore after an 18 holes of golf.
The only downside of these soles is they are slippery, so your foot tends to slide within the shoe. But this can be ameliorated by tying the shoe little more tightly.
The bottom line: if substantially reducing footpain from a long arduous walk is your primary concern, then these are the best if you want to pay for them.
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I was recommended these by my podiatrist for some joint issues in my foot. They've improved the way I walk immensely in the month that I've had them, and I'm in the latter half of marathon training. They hold up well, but they are not designed for wide feet. I'm a 2E-4E, and they don't take up the whole width of the shoe in the toe-box area. It isn't too bad, but is noticeable if I move my big toe the right way. Why, why, why not make the insole about a 1/2 wider at the end so this wouldn't be a problem? Just a heads up... this is not a cushiony insole. It's designed to force your foot to roll correctly.
