Orthotics

[reptilegrrl]

I suffer from falling arches (combination of genetics and repeated injury) which lead to overpronation and, as I am sure many of you know, a host of other problems, like knee pain, back issues, clumsiness, etc. I began wearing orthotics in 2001. Mostly, I wear Birkenstock shoes, and sometimes others (like Crocs as house shoes). In my non-orthopedic shoes, I use an orthotic. For years I used the Birkenstock blue orthotic but over time I have realized that it just doesn't provide enough arch support for me. This was ok when i was only wearing them occasionally, but nowadays I am wearing more non-Birk shoes and I need more support!

I cannot afford custom orthotics (they aren't covered by my insurance) so I have been shopping for a really good OTC orthotic. I bought a set of KLM System RX orthotics from Feet Relief. These come in medium, high, and low arches. I measured my foot in neutral and found that the arch was an inch high, so ordered the medium. When they arrived, I found that when they bore my weight, the arch flexed just enough to make them a tad too low. Feet Relief is sending me a pair of the high arches so I can compare and keep the ones which work best for me.

I am concerned that any polypropylene arch support is going to have a lot of flex. The Birkenstocks I am used to wearing don't have that flex in the arch- the footbed is solid cork, and it compresses a little over time but the arch stays solid. The KLM System RX orthotics flex when bearing weight and a bit more when the foot flexes to walk. I'm concerned that a non-rigid orthotic isn't going to do the trick in preventing my over-pronation and injury. On the other hand, what if this flexing helps to work my foot and ankle muscles to help fight the pronation that way? I just don't know how it works.

Feet Relief told me that if I find the KLM too flexible, they can have them customized with a hard substance filling the arch so they don't flex. But they told me that when they have done this in the past for clients, the clients found the orthotic too hard.

Another issue is that I have a very narrow heel and the KLM orthotic heel cup is a little wide for me. I'm not sure how this will work in the long term. Also, I really can't tell if the KLM supports all three arches or only the one.

So can anyone offer me any input? Are there any rigid but comfortable OTC orthotics out there? And if you have used the KLM RX, or the Polyflex, or the Flexify (these are the 3 most rigid types that FeetRelief seems to have) can you tell me how they worked for you?