NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Those suffering from heel pain can step a little lighter -- a new study says cheap, over-the counter shoe inserts actually work better than custom-made ones costing hundreds of dollars more.
Appearing before the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in San Francisco, Dr. Carol Frey said, "Refraining from prescribing expensive $300 to $400 custom-made orthotics, when $15 to $40 over-the-counter inserts will prevent the pain is common sense."
Dr. Frey and colleagues at the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles spent two months comparing pain-relief rates of various shoe inserts used by over 200 people. These inserts, or orthotics, fit inside shoes, are made from a variety of materials and are designed to be either soft, semiflexible or rigid.
"Orthotics cushion, support, align and improve foot function, and prevent or correct foot deformities," she explained.
Orthopedic surgeons help design the custom-made inserts from a mold made of the patients own foot.
One big difference between store-bought and custom-made is price -- and here, Frey says, the cheaper brands are actually a step ahead in terms of pain relief. With low-priced silicone heel cushions, for example, over 95% of wearers claimed pain-relief satisfaction according to the USC study. Over-the-counter heel cups, pads, and arch supports all rated over 80% satisfaction in reducing heel pain.
Some patients treated heel pain with simple foot stretching exercises alone -- and 72% reported less pain as a result. By contrast, patient satisfaction with the expensive custom-made shoe inserts was measured at just 68%.
Expense is an important consideration since heel pain is the most common foot problem seen in medical practice.
Frey cautioned against orthopedic surgeons who may overprescribe the expensive custom-made shoe inserts for heel pain when better, cheaper versions exist. Opting for store-bought brands, says Frey, "saves money for patients, healthcare providers, and insurance companies."
And she notes, "Rigid orthotics can cause a neuroma [tumor resulting in a pinched nerve] as well as sesamoiditis [inflammation of a small bone embedded in a tendon or joint in the foot]."
