Well ... my personal experience has brought me some pretty strong opinions, but I don't have any expertise ... all I know is that I've spent the last six or seven years trying to correct foot problems caused by years of wearing orthotics. And (my upper body injury notwithstanding) my feet, legs, hips and back are soooooo much better since I ditched the orthotics, started wearing minimal shoes when I'm not running or cycling, started wearing shoes that fit all the time, and started doing yoga and other foot mobility and strengthening work.

A rigid orthotic is like a brace or a cast. It prevents the joints from moving, and holds the limb in place while muscles go unused. It can be an important part of healing an injury. But if you've ever broken a bone, you know what wearing a cast even for a few weeks does to your muscles and joints. You wouldn't wear a brace or cast long term unless you had some pretty serious orthopedic problems - and in that case, you'd wear a brace prescribed for you by your treating professional and designed to address your particular anatomy. If your issues are caused by your feet and/or hips being weak and/or rigid, then orthotics will only exacerbate that.

JMO, IANAD, etc., etc., etc. ....