Superfeet

[rocknrollgirl]

Do any of you guys use Superfeet? What do you know? What do you think?

I bought a pair of berry colored Superfeet last fall and it was too close to Nationals to try something new.
I forgot I had them, and then I got injured and I was afraid to try something new.
Now I am in the muck and mire of recovery, still afraid to add a new component to the mix, but I am starting to wonder if they might actually help me.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Ruth

[KnottedYet]

Love my Superfeet, I have 4 or 5 pairs.

if you've got 'em, try them out. (be ready for your feet to get tired of them, so switch them in and out of the shoes as your feet get tired. They encourage all the little muscles of your feet to do their jobs, so they are fatiguing)

I try to get all my unstable foot/ankle/knee/hip patients to get Superfeet or something like them.

[alpinerabbit]

Bought some blue ones for my every day shoes so I don't have to put in the custom orthotics from my running shoes - and back - but I don't feel "much" of the superfeet - ?

[crazycanuck]

I suppose i could google superfeet & answer my own q's but i;'ll ask you ladies instead :o

What exactly do superfeet do & why are they so good?

[Pax]

CC - Superfeeet are insoles for your shoes.

Like Knott I have a gillion pairs of them and love them. I switched from the regular green ones to the ones with the metatarsal pad and am even happier with them. My mangled right knee thanks me daily. :D

[bike4ever]

I have custom blacks in my Sidi's. I use custom green in my everyday shoes. I actually need a new pair for my new Brooks shoes. Two of my boys use the blues in both their regular shoes and their athletic footwear. Both will get terrible heal pain without this support.

[singletrackmind]

I've used (a number of pairs of) the green ones in my hiking boots for about 15 years. :)

[madscot13]

on knott's advice I tried a pair. they are really great. I actually have 2 of them so I can stop switching them out of my shoes so much. She also said to wear them a little bit each day so that I don't aggravate my muscles. actually I tried to bike with them after the first day and my arch inflames. listen to knott!

ps I've only got the Berry's but since they work for me I didn't see the point in anything else.

pps I've tried other insoles even the custom ones from REI and they did not work well.

[kelownagirl]

So are the different colours for different problems? How d you know which ones to wear?

[Becky]

The website has a good explanation of which color for different types of shoes. It has to do with the type of shoes and the amount of shoe volume available. I have green ones in my hiking boots and in my safety-toe workboots, blue in my running shoes, and gray ones in my road shoes. I still need a pair for my mountain shoes (blue, I think).

Superfeet are the best :D

[trinena]

I have a pair of green ones for my Brooks running shoes. A pair of black ones (stiffer) for my bike shoes. I have berry ones but a PT a while back didn't think they were right for my feet -however I can't recall the specifics she gave-something about where the mt bump was for my foot. I really like my superfeet. I do have to remember to replace them more often. (A podiatrist just recommended permanent orthotics for me but my insurance will only cover if for diabetes -$600-800!). He said I could bring my superfeet in and he could make them more custom-like as an option (I guess I could also buy the softer orthotics). Another insert the podiatrist rec'd is Sole.

Course it's important to walk and break in your superfeet before running in them if they're for running. Break in hasn't mattered as much for the bike shoes for me.
good luck!

[kelownagirl]

I took a look at their website but I still can't figure out which ones are for over pronating and which ones are for underpronating. The colour choices tell you more about the kind fo shoes you wear them with than the specific foot problem you are trying to correct. Or am I missing something here? Thanks!

[KnottedYet]

They are neutral footbeds, which means they don't fix either over-pronation or over-supination. If you pretend they are footprints left in mud, you can imagine the differences. Pretend you are putting your foot into a pre-made footprint made by someone with idealized feet.

Green: a footprint left in deep mud, deep heel cup and prominent arch "bump". Good for unstable feet (like an over pronator) or feet that get tired easily.

Blue: a footprint left in shallower mud. A shallower heelcup and less beefy arch. Good for folks who feel the green is too aggressive.

Berry and Orange: kind of between the blue and green, with the addition of a metatarsal button. Nice for "hot foot" or folks with a dropped met head/collapsed metatarsal arch. Or folks who put a lot of pressure on the balls of their feet (eg: cyclists)

Black and Gray: similar to the blue, but good for lower volume shoes like bike shoes or cowboy boots and some high-heeled shoes. (gray has a build that works well in high heels)

[emily_in_nc]

When buying new trail-running shoes recently (Vasque Blur), the fitter at REI fit me in green Superfeet, and I love them! I adjusted to them instantly, though I did take a couple trail walks in them before I ran in them, but even my first run was pain-free. I needed as much volume in the shoes as possible as I have low-volume and narrow feet, and to get a long enough length in the shoe to avoid black toenail (which I've had before - no fun), I had to go up to a size that is a little loose on me overall.

One thing I learned from this fitter that I'd never known before -- she said that you really need to be fitted for Superfeet or similar inserts rather than simply buying the ones for your shoe size, especially if you are close to being between sizes. She had me try two different sizes, and based on where the arch hit my foot, I actually ended up preferring the larger size, which was for a women's size 8-10 or some such, and my shoes are only a 7.5 (and I normally wear 7's in street shoes). I just cut the toe portion of the insert down to size to fit in the shoe before putting them in. So, I found that interesting and helpful, as I've used inserts before that I felt were hitting my arch too far back (close to my heel), and now I know why!

Emily

[Red Rock]

So if I am understanding this correctly...

I work in the hospital with a lot of standing, I already live/love:D:):D my Dansko shoes, would it be worth me investing in a pair of these? Would it still be helpful for me feet and legs?

Red Rock

[emily_in_nc]

So if I am understanding this correctly...

I work in the hospital with a lot of standing, I already live/love:D:):D my Dansko shoes, would it be worth me investing in a pair of these? Would it still be helpful for me feet and legs?

Red Rock

Good question. I am no expert at all (and have not even been to the Superfeet site to read up), but my understanding was that Superfeet were more geared for athletics -- correcting "issues" with footstrike as well as taking up space in shoes for people like me with low-volume feet, and supporting our feet in the proper position. If your Danskos are already comfy and fit well, I don't know that inserts would be necessary, and might throw off the fit. I don't use Superfeet in my "street" shoes.

For lots of standing on the job, you might want to consider the Spenco gel inserts instead. I use those in my hiking boots to combat foot fatigue on long hikes, and they are (for me), da bomb! They provide cushioning, though, not "support" per se.

I am sure Knotted will correct me if I have told you wrong. I'm speaking purely from personal experience/opinion and not from any professional knowledge.

Emily

[KnottedYet]

If you love your Danskos, don't mess with them!

Superfeet are great for any shoe that doesn't match up well to the contours of someone's foot. Danskos are pretty awesome shoes, and I wouldn't try changing anything if you love them.

[RoadBunner]

I wear custom orthotics in my running shoes. The running store sold me two pairs of the green ones before I bit the bullet and got the custom orthotics. Can the green ones be put into road shoes? Should I be wearing some sort of orthotic in the cycling shoe if my pronation is so bad it warrants custom orthotics for running?

[Red Rock]

Thank you Knot! I really appreciate your bit of insight. When I found out about these shoes, I thought "you must be crazy?!" So I tried them and have loved them ever since. The American Podiatric (sp?) Association will love me for the rest of my working life.

My legs and feet have never had any problems.:D:D

From a Dansko and bike junkie....

Ellen

[anakiwa]

I love Superfeet- I have several pairs and keep them in most of my non streetshoe footwear (I discovered Earth shoes which have similar arch support and use them for regular wear). I think they work as well as the $300 orthotics I have in my running shoes.

I wasn't aware they made one with metatarsal pads (berry one). I tend to get metatarsal pain with stiff shoes (esp hiking boots, backcountry ski boots). Anyone with any experience with the berry ones and metatarsalgia?

[KnottedYet]

Red Rock - If you want some sports sandals with similar contours to the Danskos, try Chaco sandals. I swim, bike, run (hey, triathlon!) in my Chacos. I have ummmm 5 pairs of Chacos at the moment. 2 need to be resoled but I can't bear to part with them for the couple weeks it takes!

I have only one pair of Danskos right now, but I think my next pair of work shoes will be another pair of Danskos.

Have you found the Dansko outlet stores?

[Red Rock]

Knot-no I jave not found the outlet store. I did not know they had such a thing. St. George is a small town going through growing pains. I have to do most shopping by internet. No REI, Borders, fun coffee shops(Does Starbucks count? we have 2 of them). We are getting a Barnes ans Noble here soon, perhaps with another Starbucks! I guess I will have to go visit and drink some coffee.