Heel Cups: What Are They?

Heel Cups: What are they?

Heel cups are corrective footwear inserts you place in your shoes that are designed to provide extra support and cushion to the heels. Heel cups are used as preventative measures, to correct a foot condition or to offer support to people who are consistently on their feet or are having heel pain. Though heel cups can be very helpful to reduce pain at times, heel pain is often due to a bigger problem with alignment of the rest of the foot. In these cases, foot orthotics, which can have heel cups built in, would be a more appropriate treatment.

Who Needs Heel Cups?

Many foot problems, such as plantar fasciitis or heel spurs, can cause a great deal of pain during everyday events. The foot is often aggravated by lack of support and poor shock absorption at the heel. Corrective footwear devices such as heel cups provide this extra support and improve shock absorption for mild heel pain. They are designed to cushion the entire heel and distribute the shock of impact rather than having it focused on one area. People who spend a lot of time on their feet for their career often develop heel pain and find wearing heel cups can increases their comfort while decreasing their pain.

Besides relieving current pain, heel cups also can redistribute the heels natural foot pad and increase its density while you are wearing them. Heel pads to not make long term structural changes. They can act as a preventative measure to keep the heel pad in place to help to avoid heel injury.

Fitting Heel Cups

Heel cups can simply be inserted into different shoes that you already have, however, it is important to ensure they fit properly. You do not want your heel cups buckling or being squished. These problems can chafe your foot and be uncomfortable. Heel cups may require a bit of adjusting before they feel right.

If you have problems with overpronation, fallen or collapsed arches, or any other positional problems associated with heel pain, heel cups may make a minor difference, but are not the appropriate treatment. In these cases, foot orthotics would be a better choice than heel cups to alleviate your pain.

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