I wasted much money, and even worse, time, on a podiatrist. What a horrible experience.
I do not recommend hard orthotics for any hiking. After failing to eliminate PF using the molded units, I asked him for soft inserts. They were $20, I purchased two pair, and have never needed another appointment since.
3/4 inserts (can't recall name, starts with an S but not Dr. Scholls, not gel based, cushioned arch) for daily in all my shoes and sneakers (I now wear 1/2 size larger than normal to address the cushioned inserts), and Asolo boots without the interest have eliminated virtually all of the horrible arch pain.
Be forewarned, it does however change your gait. You can tell if it is working if your shoe soles and heels wear evenly. I used to go through heels and soles in 3 months. Now its closer to 9 months, and it is evenly disbursed.
The problem I have is occasional but very painful cramping in my calf and my feet at night after heavy hiking. So there is a tradeoff but well worth it.
The weight of the equipment exacerbates the problem, especially when you have what's called "flexible flat feet" which is where your feet are very thin, the arch buckling under heavy weight of cameras.
Bookmarks