Hallux Rigidus Men's/Women's Full Length Insoles

this is a good product and does what it promises. But it cant fit into many of my shoes. Out of maybe 20 pairs of shoes that I have i can only comfortably slide this into maybe two of them.

I have been having pain in my big toes since I was in my 30s, and it was only a few years ago, in my mid-50s, that a podiatrist x-rayed my feet and showed me that the bones in my big toes had degenerated to the point that they were rubbing against each other. She prescribed an anti-inflammatory medication, sold me a pair of inserts (more on that below), and said she was ready to do surgery to fuse the joints whenever I was ready. I wasn't ready.I did a bit more research and found these inserts. They are Morton's extensions, named for Dr. Dudley J. Morton. According to Dr. Judith Baumhauer, Morton's extensions only limit about 4° of motion, but "[t]he therapy is probably effective because those 4° that the extension stops are likely the last 4° of motion that cause impingement of the arthritic bone spurs or osteophytes on the top of the great toe. I feel it is the end of the metatarsophalangeal [MPT] joint that causes people the symptoms.” So, I ordered a pair and the improvement has been dramatic.Some folks have commented about the expense. Custom orthotics can cost $200 or more. The inserts the podiatrist sold me were heels lifts. They cost me $65 and provided limited relief. So the price for these is not unreasonable.I wear them with every pair of shoes or boots, swapping them between footwear as necessary. They have to go under the shoe's original inserts because they provide no cushioning at all. I found that they caused my walking shoes and running shoes to squeak, so I put the heel lifts underneath them and the squeak disappeared. My only complaint is that they have just a bit of flex to them. My preference would be that they be completely rigid. With the cut out for the other four toes, they do not interfere with my gait.I've worn these daily for about 2.5 years. If I try to wear shoes without them, after a few hours my toes are screaming at me. Now, one of the inserts is beginning to crack. As of this writing, the company is out of my size, but once they're available again, I'll order another pair. And I'll continue to postpone that surgery my (former) podiatrist was ready to perform!

These stiff insoles do what they promise -- keep your foot and shoe from bending. Unfortunately, they're really uncomfortable, even under a separate gel insole. The problem lies in the shape of the insole. It has an arch on the inside of the foot that works well, but also has a slight arch on the outside of the foot that starts to hurt after a short period of walking or standing. Even with only light activity, I wasn't able to wear this insole for more than a couple of hours. I was hoping to use these insoles to help recover from turf toe, but they feel like they'll create other foot problems for my outer foot if I keep wearing them.My feet are pretty normal, but I know people's feet vary dramatically. I'd recommend getting a customized stiff insole rather than ordering an uncomfortable generic insole like I did.

I am starting to get arthritis in my big toe joints. This leads to painful aftereffects from tennis or similar activities that tend to require some aggressive flexing of the forefoot. These inserts certainly didn't cure the arthritis (darn, I was hoping...!) but they do seem to help limit the flexing a little. THey are not so stiff that your shoes will feel like boards, so they don't overly interfere with my footwork, but on the other hand they do allow some flexing, so they don't completely eliminate the issue. Still, they help. And my doctor very clearly explained the situation, just like the old vaudeville joke: "Doc, it hurts when I do this." "OK, don't do this." I have arthritis, I can llve with it as best I can, and this insole seems to help. Whether it's worth $50, I'm not sure, but at this point, it's helping, so it's worth it to me to be able to enjoy some activities a bit more with a bit less resulting pain. No miracle, it doesn't prevent flexing, but it does cushion the impact, reduce the severity somewhat, and it isn't so obtrusive that it limits my enjoyment of playing. If you have bought various other flim-flam artifacts for your arthritis over the years, then you have probably spent more money on less useful items, so this one's not a bad deal.

I bought these insoles because I had surgery to fuse my left big toe and I need a stiff insole to be able to wear athletic shoes. As far as protecting my big toe from any flexing pressure they work quite well. However, they do not support any of the remaining four toes.The edge of the insole ends behind the toes, and this edge is abrupt and sharp causing some discomfort unless properly padded. I am currently using the insole from the athletic shoe I am wearing over the rigid insole. This provides some relief, but the sharp edge can still be felt. I am trying different flat, thin insoles to find a good solution. A good point about these insoles is they provide very good arch support and they have relieved the pain in the ball of my good foot that I have been experiencing. It may not be possible in the manufacturing process, but if the abrupt edge were tapered they may be more comfortable. Regardless, I can now wear an athletic shoe without putting undue flexing pressure on my fused toe. I would buy them again.

The description of these inserts and the fact that you can't select a size gives the impression that they are one size fits all. They're not. When my inserts arrived, they didn't fit in my shoes. I went to the Footsmart website and discovered that they are sold in different sizes. Yet I didn't get to choose a size when I placed my order, and my package from Amazon had no size labelled--who knows what size it is.Until Amazon realizes that this product needs to be sold by the size, I would buy directly from the Footsmart website or elsewhere.