A custom insole —a foot orthosis— is made from an impression of your foot and from what the gait assessment showed. Its job is not simply to “lift the arch”: it is to change how pressure is distributed as you load the foot, to offload the area that is suffering, and to support the movement of the foot where it struggles.
The impression is taken at the appointment, usually in a foam box or with whichever technique suits your case, and the insole is made from it. Reviews are then needed: a new insole is noticeable, and adjusting what rubs or what is excessive is part of the treatment, not a sign that something has gone wrong. We also check that it fits the footwear you actually wear, because an insole that does not fit your shoes is of no use.
How the process works
- A gait assessment first: without it, the insole would be guesswork.
- Taking the impression of the foot at the appointment.
- Manufacture based on that impression and on the examination findings.
- Fitting, with guidance on breaking them in gradually.
- Reviews to adjust the insole and check it fits your everyday footwear.
Been told you need insoles and want an assessment before you decide?
Book an appointmentFrequently asked questions
- Do I have to change all my shoes? Do insoles fit any footwear?
- They do not fit any footwear, and it is better to know that beforehand. An insole takes up space: it needs a shoe with enough volume and, ideally, a removable original insole, because putting one on top of another lifts the foot out of the shoe. In a low-cut court shoe or a thin ballet flat there is no room, and forcing it is worse than not wearing it. That is why you are asked which footwear you actually spend most of the day in, and the decision is made around that. If you need to cover two very different uses — work and sport, say — how to handle that is discussed at the appointment.
- Is it normal for them to feel odd for the first few days?
- Yes, which is why they are handed over with a gradual break-in plan rather than a "just wear them". You are changing how pressure is distributed in an area that has been loading a different way for years, so the first few times you notice it: a sense of something underneath, a spot that draws attention, or tiredness in different places from usual. That settles. What does NOT settle on its own is a point that rubs, reddens or hurts in one specific place: that is an adjustment still pending, not a phase. If it appears, do not put up with it for weeks: come back and it gets corrected — that is what the reviews are for.
- How long do they last and when should they be replaced?
- There is no expiry date: they are replaced when they stop doing their job, and that is what the reviews look for. Three signs announce it. First, the material has deformed or flattened where it takes most load: it is no longer offloading what it used to. Second, the problem it had resolved comes back. Third, the foot has changed — weight, activity, surgery, a bunion that has progressed — because then the insole is correct for a foot that is no longer the current one. In children they are also replaced because of growth, and there the interval is much shorter.
