There is nothing like standing on your feet all day and feeling all of the pressure on your joints and back from doing so. You may be looking to solutions like gel insoles to ease the burden on your feet, hips, and lower back. Gel insoles can be a great option but sometimes they are not the best option and they can do more harm than good.
It is understandable that you may love your soft gel insoles so much that you put them in all of your shoes. That can be a dangerous scenario if you live an active lifestyle. Any athlete will want to think twice about just throwing gel insoles in their shoes for comfort.
Purpose of Gel Insoles?
There are insoles made for many different purposes. The #1 goal of gel insoles is to make whatever shoes you are wearing more comfortable, so your body does not have to ache.
You could be standing a lot for your job, or maybe you are running a marathon, but gel insoles are made to absorb your forces a bit better. Think about the difference between running on pavement vs. running on grass. Every step you take on pavement puts a lot more pressure on your joints and body. The reason is that the pavement is hard and has no give.
The job of insoles is to help your shoes feel more like a soft surface. When you are on your feet all day, the chances are that you are not on grass. You are probably on cement, so the ground and your shoes have no give. Meaning that your hips, feet, and back need to absorb every step that you take.
The gel insoles go into your shoes and help to add some bounce to each step. Your feet then sink into the insoles before the shoes, and the ground has to return force up the body.
Types of Insoles
- Support
- Keep Feet Cool
- Massage Feet
- Comfort for Heel
- Sports
- High Heels
Who Should Use Gel Insoles?
Well, the tricky part is that the makers of Gel Insoles believe that anyone and everyone with feet can and should use Gel insoles. It is true that gel insoles can make a big difference. They really should be worn by people who have to stand and walk a lot each day, and they have been experiencing pain. That does not include athletes, and we will explain why later.
The key to using gel insoles is remembering that they represent a short-term fix. The assumption is that the reason your body hurts is from your shoes or just because of standing. The problem is that the body was made to stand so you should able to do it for some time without pain.
The best way to deal with the pains you are experiencing is to deal with the root of the suffering. For example, your hips may not be level, or maybe you lack ankle flexibility, and that is putting more strain on your feet when
Gel Insoles for Athletes
The reason athletes should avoid gel insoles is because that one change in the feet can create a lot of problems up the chain. All force goes through your feet, but when you are an athlete, you are talking about multiples of your body weight going through your feet when you run. If the feet now are operating a bit different then everything with your knees, hips, and back will be off.
When you are an athlete, everything you do is about precision. A basketball player hits their jump shot over and over until it becomes second nature. The second that anything is changed with that shot it throws off a motor pattern. The body has to do things in a way that it is not used to and that is how injuries can occur.
If you are an athlete, you should consider these things before using gel insoles.
- Getting treatment
- Seeing a foot specialist
- Daily self-care of feet by rolling on a golf ball
The treatment you get will depend on the type of provider you see and the skill sets they have. What they will do is find reasons that your lower back, feet, knees, and feet hurt whenever you walk. It could be something as simple as needing new shoes. Once you find the cause of the problem, you can fix it and not have to keep buying insoles for a quick fix.
How to Find Great Healthcare Providers Instead of Using Gel Insoles
9INE POINT Health is the best place to start your search for a health care provider to help you stay healthy on the track. The key to success in sports is staying healthy and gel insoles can help that.
9INE POINT Health lets you search for providers by type and skill. For example. You can look for a Physical Therapist that also know Graston technique. It does not matter what kind of provider you need, 9INE POINT Health can help you find them and help you to sort through their skills.
If you are unsure where to start your journey, 9INE POINT Health will ask you questions and help you figure out the best starting place. All you have to do is answer a few questions, and 9INE POINT Health will connect you with the type of provider best suited for your needs. It does not matter if you are injured or just sore from killing workouts.
The platform makes it easy to compare health providers as they are all given a 9INE POINT Number. Once you are shown the best local options, how do you know which is the best? Reading bios and reviews is just not enough because you need more than that. Just like you need more info on your gel insoles, you need to figure out more about your healthcare provider.
KHO Health was acquired by was acquire by 9INE POINT in the summer of 2019 and is now referred to as 9INE POINT Health.
