Comparing Orthotics for Plantar Fasciitis: Formthotics vs. Insoles

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of the study is to compare the efficacy of flat insoles, bone spur pads, pre-fabricated orthotics and customised orthotics in reducing plantar contact pressure of subjects with plantar fasciitis.

This study trialled several common interventions for heel pain and used plantar heel pressure as the key data point. Amongst a silicon heel cup, a flat insole, a semi-rigid orthosis and Formthotics, heel pressure was most reduced by the semi-rigid device, with the formthotic a near second in efficacy. This study is informative, but limited in its conclusions in that semi-rigid devices represent a wide range of prescriptive designs and materials. In this case, a specific effort was made to design the device for heel pain. Formthotics, on the other hand, are uniform (by type), but no model is specifically designed for heel pain accommodation. In the end, this does and doesn't prove the superiority of semi-rigid devices, only that they can be made to work. We suspect that if the device had not been so specifically constructed, Formthotics would have been superior.

Results: Contact pressure was higher on the asymptomatic side due to unequal distribution of weight. Bone spur heel pads were ineffective in reducing rearfoot pressure while formthotics and customised orthotics reduced peak rearfoot pressures significantly. The power ratio of the rearfoot region decreased with the use of Formthotics and customised orthotics.

Conclusion: Pre-fabricated orthotics and customised orthotics reduced rearfoot peak forces on both sides while bone spurs heel pad increase rearfoot peak pressures. Pre-fabricated and customised orthotics are useful in distributing pressure uniformly over the rearfoot region.

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