Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find the answers to many of the questions and comments we have received.

Mortonsfoot.com • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Yes, we ship beyond the USA. All orders placed on mortonsfoot.com website will be processed in US Dollars. Your credit card provider will compute the price in your currency. To find a distributor in your country, click on your flag in the right hand column.

Why is the distributor price in my country so much higher than in the USA.

Regardless of what products, it seems prices outside the US are from 70-120% higher. When importing Posture Control Insoles® from the USA, each distributor, in addition to shipping, customs handling and insurance charges must pay government customs and importation taxes, as well as value added tax (VAT).

Notice: Each order placed on Mortonsfoot.com for shipment outside the USA and US territories may be subject to the above fees and taxes when imported to your country, so the price you pay on the website may not be your final price. It all depends on the rules and regulations in your country.

International
Distributors

Posture Control Insoles®

Do Posture Control Insoles® work for everyone?

The good news is that Posture Control Insoles® work for over 90% among the people who try them. There is a small percentage of people for whom the the insoles will not work. Included in this small percentage is also a group for whom the insoles will work when combined with therapy and exercise.

The insoles will not work for you if you have one of the following conditions: Rigid feet, birth deformities like club foot or significant damage from injury or surgical intervention.
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How long will it take to notice the difference?

You will notice the difference right away. That however does not mean that your pain will dissipate immediately. People differ in the length of time it takes their muscles to adjust to the new mechanics and posture, but you should expect to feel substantial benefits from wearing the Posture Control Insoles® in 7-10 days provided you follow the break-in instructions and continue to wear them full time (minimum 70%) in all your shoes. If you only wear them a little now and then or only for your morning walk, you may barely feel any benefits at all. As you use your Posture Control Insoles®, you retrain and strengthen your muscles. A good golfer for example, plays by rote (muscle memory). Muscle memory is created by repetition. Your postural muscles work the same way.
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Are there conditions where Posture Control Insoles® would not be recommended?

Yes.

Cavus Feet (ultra high “peaked” arches)

Structural flat feet (flat when not weight bearing)

Insignificant static hyperpronation

Severe arthritic conditions of the foot, knee and hip. (may be helpful when combined with medical treatment)

Foot deformities from congenital defects, injuries and surgery. (may be helpful when combined with medical treatment)

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How will I notice the difference?

You will feel reduction in pain

You will feel that your feet and ankles are more stable and less tired

Your shoes will feel more comfortable – like they fit better

You will improve power, agility and endurance

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What if I need arch supports?

You can add arch supports to Posture Control Insoles®, but before you go out and jack up your arches like a car with a flat tire, you need to know that most people have functional arches and do not need arch supports. You could be among them.

If you have visible arches when you are sitting (non weight bearing) but no arches at all when you are standing (weight bearing), you will benefit from a modest amount of arch support. If your arches are low, but still existent when standing, try the insoles without arch supports first. You can always add them later.

If you have significant heel pain (Plantar Faciitis) you should use arch supports temporarily until your pain has resolved. The arch supports aid healing of the injured tissues by reducing motion of your feet. 7-10 days after the pain is gone, tear out the arch supports. If you have the correct Posture Control Insoles®, the heel pain should not return.
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How do Posture Control Insoles® differ from arch support orthotics?

To appreciate the difference, you must first consider that there are two ways of controlling the longitudinal (only) arch of your feet. You can attempt to immobilize it with arch supports, or you can control it using your muscles similarly to what you do when you try to pick up a towel from the floor with your feet.

Arch support orthotics attempt to control hyperpronation by restricting the motion of the foot. They are partially successful in doing so, but fail as the foot moves toward toe off. Posture Control Insoles® stimulate your feet by allowing the first metatarsal to feel the ground sooner in the gait cycle than it normally does. This cannot be proven because no one can absolutely measure proprioception, but it is our belief that the body responds by tightening the muscles that control the arch as they always do, but earlier in the gait cycle hence preventing the foot from hyperpronating or significantly hyperpronating.

While arch support orthotics are usually big and bulky, Posture Control Insoles® are ultra thin, and use small feedback dimensions - typically no more than a 6 mm wedge placed underneath the first metatarsal. While an arch support is only effective during a fraction of the weight bearing gait cycle, Posture Control Insoles® are effective through most of the weight bearing cycle, all the way through toe-off.
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Why is it not necessary to custom make Posture Control Insoles®?

Posture Control Insoles® could be custom made, but the incremental benefit would not justify the added cost. While not custom made, Posture Control Insoles® are custom fit. That is the purpose of our fitting procedure which incorporates both an assessment of how severe your hyperpronation is (knee bend) and how you dynamically respond to it by either freely hyperpronating or attempting to avoid it by favoring the outside of your feet (shoe wear pattern).

Considerable time was spend selecting the three categories of proprioceptive feedback offered. 3.5 mm, 6.0 mm and 9.0 mm. 9.0 mm Posture Control Insoles® are only available through professional providers.
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Do I need to wear Posture Control Insoles® all the time?

We suggest you wear your Posture Control Insoles® at least 70% of the time. First of all, you are making up for a structural deficit. It will not go away. Secondly, as you use your Posture Control Insoles®, you retrain and strengthen your muscles. A good golfer for example, plays by rote (muscle memory). Muscle memory is created by repetition. Your postural muscles work the same way. If you quit wearing your Posture Control Insoles® you will return to your old pronation pattern.
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Does it take time to get used to Posture Control Insoles®?

You will feel the Posture Control Insoles® for the first 2 or 3 days, but the feel is generally comfortable. You will be aware that something is different. Because Posture Control Insoles® re-posture the body and thereby cause different muscle use, you may experience moderate muscle soreness similar to starting a new exercise.

If the Posture Control Insoles® cause significant discomfort it may be because they have re-postured your body substantially. Give them a break for a couple of days, and break them in by increasing your wear time by two hours a day.

If the Posture Control Insoles® cause prolonged discomfort or pain beyond 5 days, discontinue use.

Become accustomed to wearing Posture Control Insoles® in your daily shoes before using them in athletic activity.
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How long do Posture Control Insoles® last?

With typical use, Posture Control Insoles® may last for 12-18 months. If you are very active in sports, don’t expect them to outlast your shoes. They are guaranteed against material defects for 6 months.
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Can I switch them between shoes?

We recommend you do. Make sure they fit properly and that you have sufficient room over the big toe. If you find that the shoe profile is too low to accommodate a 6.0 mm pair (if that's what you use in your sneakers), use a 3.5 mm pair instead. This is not a linear technology. A 3.5 mm pair gives you a significant gait change, and is definitively better than going without Posture Control Insoles®.
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Can they be washed?

Hand-wash in mild soap and lukewarm water. Lie flat to air dry.

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Cushioning

What are cushioned shoes?

Most commonly when shoe manufacturers are talking about cushioning, they talk about providing cushioning under the foot. The type of cushioning ranges from heel cushions to metatarsal cushions. Some shoes even provide cushioning against the upper of the shoe to protect the foot as it twists inside the shoe when you walk. Cushioning is implemented with foam materials, liquid or air. Some shoes even duct the liquid from one region underneath the foot to another.

Much of this cushioning is questionable beyond marketing appeal and product differentiation.
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Who needs extra cushioning?

If you supinate, you will have a harder than normal heel strike. A little extra heel cushion may feel good, but correcting your foot mechanics will feel even better. Supination is most often a subconscious response to hyperpronation, so eliminating supination using the Posture Control Insoles® will contribute to softening your gait.

Many people, especially as they age have thinner fat pads underneath their feet. A little extra cushion will feel good and combines well with correcting foot mechanics.

When purchasing shoes with cushioning or adding extra cushioning to your shoes, use as little as possible. There is a fine line between just enough cushion and too much cushion which can destabilize your feet making you more susceptible to injury.
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Can I use too much cushioning?

Yes. Several years ago, a study was conducted in Australia to determine what would best predict someone's chance of an ankle injury. Over 10,000 basketball players were studies, and not surprisingly, the #1 predictor was having twisted the ankle in the past. That is not surprising, because these people are the ones that supinate at heel strike, and tend to favor the outside of their shoes. The surprise was predictor #2. Air shoes. We haven't examined the study in detail, so it could be that the number of people using air shoes skewed the results. Needless to say, Nike went ballistic, but the study made a valid point. Too much cushioning will destabilize your feet. Having a firm connection with the ground stabilizes the body.

Too much is not good!

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Orthotics

Are all foot orthotics the same?

Most foot orthotics are prescribed in response to foot pain, but foot orthotics are increasingly being prescribed to help relieve knee pain, back pain and other musculoskeletal problems. The degree to which orthotics actually alleviates musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction over the long term depends on the type of orthotics you receive.

There are two classes of orthotics - accommodative and functional.

Accommodative orthotics are typically formed to your feet using a foam cast. They are used to redistribute pressure under your feet to reduce foot pain caused by pressure points.

Functional orthotics are designed to change your foot mechanics, your stance and your gait. Functional orthotics have the potential to change your overall posture and body mechanics. While all functional orthotics used to be supportive - meaning arch support and shims, Posture Control Insoles® represents a unique kind of orthotics that work by stimulating your muscles to naturally correct your gait and posture.
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Who needs foot orthotics?

Here is a fact: Less than 20% of the population have flat feet. Most of us have flexible feet with visible, functional arches. Some arches are low, some are higher. There is no prescription for an "ideal" arch height. If you have functional arches, you do not need arch supports.

That means that traditional arch support orthotics are significantly over prescribed.

Unfortunately, upwards of 80% of the population experience foot or other body pain. The feet are often the root cause of problems you might not have associated with your feet, like pain in your back, neck and shoulders, hence over 80% of the population would benefit from wearing Posture Control Insoles®.
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Why do all orthotics have arch supports?

Most traditional orthotics are based on a static view of your feet. This is where the term "fallen arches" comes from. Compared to the arch of your foot when it is not supporting your weight, your arches fall when they are weight bearing. The old theory (Root's) about how the foot is supposed to work generally suggests that the non-weight bearing arch be maintained which is done by blocking the movement of the arch. That is why many podiatrists will make a non weight-bearing cast of your foot. That is the way they were trained.

Proprioceptive stimulation orthotics generally do not make use of an arch support.

Dr. Merton Root published a theory on foot mechanics over 40 years ago. Although never validated and now largely dismissed, the theory still forms the cornerstone of custom orthotics fitting.

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Arch Supports

My podiatrist insists I need arch support!

Posture Control Insoles® represent a paradigm shift to podiatrists. Correcting for hyperpronation without arch supports, in their minds, simply does not work. Podiatrists think in terms of supporting the feet, but if you do this simple exercise, your realize that you do in fact have muscular control of your arches. Scrunch up your feet like you are trying to pick up a towel from the floor with your feet. You can feel your arches rise. If you are doing this while standing up, you may even feel a slight external rotation of your legs. You have muscular control. The saying "Use it or loose it" applies to these muscles too, so don't wear arch supports unless it is absolutely necessary. After wearing arch supports for an extended time, you may find yourself unable to walk barefoot and in shoes without arch supports.
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Who needs arch supports?

Strictly speaking, arch supports are only beneficial for people who have flexible flat feet. For the flexible flat foot, a moderate arch support prevents the foot from a total medial collapse during mid stance. Interestingly enough, podiatrists prescribe arch support orthotics for nearly everyone, high arches or low arches does not matter. Their goal is to shim the foot into a neutral position, but there is no evidence of any sort suggesting that this is correct. In fact, a neutral foot is on the verge of supination (ankle leaning out). In this position the ankle is severely exposed to rolling out leading to ankle injuries from spraining.

Aside from flexible flat feet, we recommend arch supports only for one other condition - Plantar Fasciitis. This heel pain represents an injury. Actual micro-tears exist where the fascia attaches to the bone. Minimizing motion using an arch support helps the lesion to heal quicker. After it has healed, the Posture Control Insoles can be used without arch supports.
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Do arch supports prevent hyperpronation?

Yes and No!

When standing still, you can shim the foot to any position. By using heel shims and arch supports you can position the foot in a less pronated position or even in a neutral or supinated position. So, when standing still, arch supports can prevent hyperpronation.

Once you start walking, the arch supports do not prevent hyperpronation. Once the heel lifts off the ground, the rear and mid section of your shoes loose ground support.

This is why arch supports seldom are a long term solution to knee pain, low back pain and other problems that are caused by hyperpronation.
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Why do podiatrists sell arch support orthotics if they are not effective?

Nobody says arch supports are not effective. Arch supports are quite effective at doing what they are intended to do - immobilize the foot at mid stance (both heel and toes on the ground). For many people, especially with foot pain, this is an improvement although it may only be so temporarily. Combined with a rigid shoe, an arch support can immobilize the foot completely. The real question is: "Why would you want to partially or completely immobilize the foot?" Immobilizing any part of the body is after all something most frequently done temporarily to aid the healing process after an injury or surgery.

Even though podiatrists know that arch supports immobilize the feet, they choose to think of arch supports as promoting better biomechanical operation of the feet through preventing excessive pronation during mid stance. Podiatrists adhere to an old, never confirmed theory (Root's biomechanics) that the foot operates best in a position called subtalar neutral, and this is what they are trying to achieve by using heel shims and arch supports.

Podiatrists also treat the foot from a static perspective, and consequently do not incorporate the patient's proprioceptive response to the orthotics in their evaluation.
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Why do my arch supports hurt?

If your feet hyperpronate, your arches are dropping too far. The logic behind arch supports is simply to prevent that from happening. What podiatrists do not want to consider is what we consider the real cause of hyperpronation - the elevated first metatarsal. With an elevated first metatarsal, when you use arch supports, the inside of your feet literally straddle a fence (the arch support), heel on one side and toes on the other. As you shift your weight from heel to toe, the arch support digs into your feet until your first metatarsal reaches the ground and becomes weight bearing. By this time, most people are nearly at toe-off.
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Is the arch supposed to collapse?

Your arches are your body's suspension. They are supposed to flex. That is how they help your feet absorb the shock of impact. If your arches collapse to the ground (flexible flat feet), it is like driving your car with broken springs, and if the arches don't move (rigid) it would be like a car with blocked suspension or no suspension at all. Rigid orthotics are often a painful ride that can take months to become used to. That is why so many chiropractors have shifted to using flexible orthotics, but there is a tradeoff. The more flexible the orthotics are the less painful they become, but they also become less effective in preventing the arches from dropping.
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How do Posture Control Insoles® differ from arch support orthotics?

To appreciate the difference, you must first consider that there are two ways of controlling the longitudinal (only) arch of your feet. You can attempt to immobilize it with arch supports, or you can control it using your muscles similarly to what you do when you try to pick up a towel from the floor with your feet.

Arch support orthotics attempt to control hyperpronation by restricting the motion of the foot. They are partially successful in doing so, but fail as the foot moves toward toe-off. Posture Control Insoles® stimulate your feet by allowing the first metatarsal to feel the ground sooner in the gait cycle than it normally does. This cannot be proven because no one can absolutely measure proprioception, but it is our belief that the body responds by tightening the muscles that control the arch as they always do, but earlier in the gait cycle hence preventing the foot from hyperpronating or significantly hyperpronating.

While arch support orthotics are usually big and bulky, Posture Control Insoles® are ultra thin, and uses small feedback dimensions - typically no more than a 6 mm wedge placed underneath the first metatarsal. While an arch support is only effective during a fraction of the weight bearing gait cycle, Posture Control Insoles® are effective during most of the weight bearing cycle, all the way through toe-off.

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Posture Connection

What is the Posture Connection?

The connection between posture and good health has been known for a century, but has unfortunately been all but eliminated from general medical practice. Posture shapes both your thoracic and abdominal cavities which means posture exerts influence on every internal organ which can get stressed from changes in pressure, position and blood flow. If you have any doubt, just take a deep breath while slouching and compare it to the air you inhale while standing or sitting straight. You get about 30% more air. Your body likes that. Your heart doesn't like to be squeezed any more than your liver or kidneys do.

In holistic circles, posture was never abandoned, and posture is making its comeback in treating chronic pain and musculoskeletal dysfunction. Posture and body mechanics is becoming a significant part of athletic performance and training where good posture and body mechanics are synonymous with power, agility and endurance.

Good posture along with nutrition and hydration are cornerstones of good health.
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Feet and Posture

Your feet are directly connected to your posture. They are your postural foundation. "So goes the foundation, so goes the house". If you have ever tried to square the door frames in a house standing on a sagging foundation you know exactly what we mean. It is impossible and it won't last. The same is the case with the body. Your chiropractor is trying to square you up structurally, but if your feet are wrong the adjustments just won't last. Your physical therapist is trying to strengthen your body, but suspended over a foundering foundation, the joints, muscles and ligaments will succumb to the forces of gravity.

You can improve your posture by lifting your chest and tucking your bottom under, but it feels a lot more natural and effortless when your posture is supported by your feet.

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Medical Doctors

If you are a medical doctor and would like to make Posture Control Insoles available to your patients, please register on our professional website. www.posturedynamics.com
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My doctor is familiar with orthotics, but has never heard of Posture Control Insoles®!

Most general practitioners and orthopedic doctors do not devote much of their time to studying new trends in orthotics. Within their referral networks, they will send anyone with foot pain to a podiatrist. Although posture used to be part of the medical practice, most medical doctors no longer pay much attention to it because they figure you can't and don't have much incentive to improve it.
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I showed the Posture Control Insoles® to my podiatrist, and he says they don't provide the support I need!

Your podiatrist could be right, but unless you have been injured in an accident or had surgery, or have a birth defect, chances are that your podiatrist is just not familiar with the new trends in proprioceptive correction.

Ultimately, you are the person responsible for your own health. The purpose of this website is to help you make the most educated decision you can make.
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My podiatrist says Posture Control Insoles® don't work!

Unfortunately, most podiatrists in the US are not trained and familiar with using proprioception and your own muscles to correct your feet and gait. In most cases their opinion is honestly based on their basic training and familiarity with arch support orthotics. The average mark up on arch support orthotics exceeds $400, and Posture Control Insoles® cost $49.95 and come with a 90 day functional guarantee.
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My podiatrist insists that there is no scientific base for Posture Control Insoles®!

Many papers have been written on proprioception and how it works. If your doctor claims they all lack scientific background, I would seriously consider finding another doctor.

If your doctor claims there is no scientific proof that small dimensions change your gait, consider this. If you get a small pebble in your shoe and step on it, your knee will instantly buckle to avoid the pain. Just the faintest sense of that pebble caused your brain to instantly change your muscle contraction and release pattern. That is proprioception and it modified your gate in an instant. All Posture Control Insoles® do is provide a deliberate proprioceptive feedback and it works.
In the end, it is your body - you decide.

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Trainers

My trainer is unfamiliar with Posture Control Insoles.

Not so strange - but an opportunity for you to contribute to the knowledge of your trainer.

Most athletic trainer's familiarity with posture is defined more as technique. What is a proper stance and posture when swinging a golf club, serving a tennis ball, or lifting weights. Athletic trainers will help you optimize your game, your strength and endurance and help you prevent injury while playing. Once you leave their domain, you are on your own.

You may teach your trainer to appreciate the importance of maintaining good posture between exercise sessions and the connection between feet, posture and body mechanics. Invite your trainer to visit our websites.
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My trainer has suggested I need orthotics.

Before you run off to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of custom orthotics, be sure you have a good understanding of what your trainer has observed that he or she believes will be corrected by wearing orthotics. If you have a specific symptom like heel or knee pain, go to the bottom of this page and click on your symptom.

If your trainer has told you that pronation or supination is a problem, you are obviously already on the right track studying this website. You would probably expect your trainer to appreciate the concept of using your own muscles to correct the problem rather than a crutch (arch support orthotics).
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How can I explain Posture Control Insoles®?

Here is the simplest way to explain how they work. You can even do this without even taking your shoes off.

Scrunch up your feet like picking up a towel from the floor with your feet. Feel your arches rise. Explain that this exercise demonstrates you have muscular control over your arches. You can even ask what would happen if you stopped using those muscles like when wearing arch supports. All you have to say is that Posture Control Insoles® put that exercise on automatic.

If your trainer is a "doubting Thomas", ask what happens if a pebble makes its way into your shoe when walking...enough to buckle your knee to avoid stepping on it - right? So what you feel underneath the foot can change how your muscles work. Posture Control Insoles® put a shape in the shoe that changes how the muscles work.

If you have your insoles let them try them.

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Chiropractors

If you are a chiropractor and would like to make Posture Control Insoles available to your patients, please register on our professional website. www.posturedynamics.com
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My chiropractor says flexible custom orthotics are much better and easier to wear than the old hard orthotics.

To evaluate your chiropractors statement, you must first understand a little of the theory behind how custom arch support orthotics work. The primary function is to build up the arch to sufficient height so you prevent the foot from significantly pronating (rolling in). In the past, that was done with a hard arch support - a 3/4 length orthotic shell that cups your heel and supports your arch. While the hard arch substantially removed hyperpronation at mid-stance, they were often painful to wear - especially in the beginning - and could take several months to break in (if ever). Because so many people rejected them, some companies decided to make more flexible arch support orthotics.

So now, put on your engineering cap. More flexible means the arch will collapse under the weight of the body, and, because they collapse they are more comfortable. But, are they performing the same function?

When you think about it. Doesn't it make more sense to train your muscles to support your arches? That is what Posture Control Insoles® are designed to do.
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My chiropractor says I have three arches in my feet and that they all need to be supported.

It is probably safe to say that with exception of the opinion of a major chiropractic supplier of orthotics, most opinions support the fact that the foot has one major arch - the longitudinal arch on the inside of the foot. If you are flat footed, this arch may collapse completely when weight bearing. The transverse arch is supposed to be located immediately behind the metatarsal heads, and the lateral arch is supposed to be right in front of the heel on the outside of the foot. Some companies will make supports under all these "arches".

From the perspective of building stronger feet which we all need and want, we need to strengthen all the major and minor muscles that support the longitudinal arch. Strengthening muscles means using these muscles (avoiding passive support). We do however recognize that for some people a metatarsal pad may be helpful to alleviate pain from Morton's Neuroma. People who have flexible flat feet will frequently benefit from using a modest amount of arch support in combination with Posture Control Insoles®. For people who suffer from heel pain (Plantar Faciitis) an arch support will help immobilize the foot like a cast while the injury is healing, but who would want to wear a cast the rest of their life?

Posture Control Insoles®, even with arch supports are substantially less expensive than the "three arch support orthotics" your chiropractor may be recommending, and they are guaranteed to work or your money back.

Whenever you purchase functional orthotics, make sure you receive an unconditional money back guarantee.
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My chiropractor recommend pelvic stabilizers

Pelvic stabilization primarily aims at leveling your hips. When you look at your body from the front or back, you may learn that one hip looks higher than the other and that your shoulders are un-level too. This un-level posture can be caused by an anatomical short leg, hyperpronation (functional short leg) or muscle imbalances. This unbalanced posture pattern may also be your response to pain. Your body has changed in an attempt to avoid or minimize the pain.

Pelvic stabilization usually refers to shimming the short leg by using heel lifts or arch supports. This works well from a static perspective (standing still), but is substantially less effective when you are in motion.

You may also find that pelvic stabilizers are the generic name for a specific ($$$) brand of soft arch support orthotics.
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Can chiropractic adjustments improve my posture?

It is true that skeletal problems particularly originating from the head and neck can cause your hips to become unbalanced. Consequently, when your chiropractor adjusts you, you may feel better and as if your posture has improved. If you find though, that you need to be adjusted weekly, you know there must be a reason why your adjustments are not lasting.

If this is your case, it makes sense you to look to your feet because they have a very strong influence on your posture. Posture Control Insoles® may enable you to retain your good posture longer - much longer because they stabilize your foundation.
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My chiropractor is hesitant about the Posture Control Insoles®.

Most chiropractors have been trained on traditional foot mechanics and arch support orthotics. In fact, most chiropractic schools base their teaching on current podiatric accepted practice standards.

The concept of proprioceptive correction of the feet, gait and posture is new to the podiatric field and it will most likely take several years before the concept will be included in their teaching programs. Leading edge Chiropractors, in many cases, surpass podiatrists in knowledge because an increasing number of them are becoming more multidisciplinary in their approach to healing. In addition to spine issues they take into consideration the function of the body including posture, motion and muscles.

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Therapists

If you are a therapist and would like to make Posture Control Insoles available to your patients, please register on our professional website. www.posturedynmics.com
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If you have questions or comments use this link: Secure feedback

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Pronation

What is hyperpronation?

First, hyperpronation and flat feet is not the same. If you haven't heard the term hyperpronation, let us explain: Just like there are two kinds of cholesterol, there are two kinds of pronation. Normal (good) pronation is purposefully directed from your hip to unlock your foot at heel strike when you walk. It enables the foot to cushion the impact of your heel striking the ground. Hyperpronation (bad) has its origin in the skeletal structure of your feet. It causes your arches to collapse and ankles to roll inward. Hyperpronation is a movement pattern of the foot where when weight bearing, the arch collapses by some amount, causing the ankles to roll inward. Hyperpronation is too much pronation causing postural collapse and biomechanical dysfunction.
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How do I know if I hyperpronate?

Start by taking a look at the bottom of a pair of shoes you have worn outside for a while. Over-pronators typically wear their shoes out on the inside of the forefoot, particularly under the second metatarsal head (ball of the foot). They may wear either the inside or outside edge of the heel. If you wear your shoes out from the middle to the outside in the forefoot, and wear heavily on the outside of your heels, you are a supinator. Supinators are often over-pronators in disguise.

Stand with your feet parallel and your back straight. Bend your knees without squatting until your heels try to lift off the floor. If your knees come together, you over-pronate.
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What is the impact of hyperpronation?

Over-pronation (hyperpronation) impacts the whole body. Most people who over-pronate have a forward leaning posture which causes significant stresses on the body.

Common foot pain like heel pain (Plantar Fasciitis), arch pain, bunions, bone spurs and calluses are often the result of years of over-pronation, but it doesn't stop there. Over-pronation can be the cause of leg pain, Achilles pain, shin splints, knee pain from tight or torn ligaments, meniscus tears, runners knee (Chondromalacia), hip and low back pain.
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How does hyperpronation change the body?

Over-pronation starts with collapsing arches which causes the ankles to roll in and the legs to internally rotate. The internal rotation of the legs rotate the pelvis forward, forcing the upper body to lean forward and the head to drift forward on the spine (head forward posture).

Over-pronation also causes a functional leg length difference which causes one hip to become higher than the other and one shoulder to become higher than the other (scoliosis).
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What causes hyperpronation?

Over-pronation (hyperpronation) is a structural problem of the foot. The head of the talus (ankle bone) is slightly rotated up so it elevates the first ray (first metatarsal and big toe). This causes the arch to collapse when weight is transferred to the forefoot.

This condition can easily be demonstrated by placing a persons foot in a position where the ankle is straight (the heel is perpendicular to the floor) and noticing how the first ray is no longer in weight bearing contact with the ground. When the forefoot is made weight bearing, the arch collapses and the ankle rolls in.

Bad_Posture

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Supination

What is supination?

Supination is a natural movement of the foot where the ankle is leaning out (opposite of pronation). When the foot is supinated great caution is required to prevent serious ankle injury from the foot rolling out. Because the foot is typically not used in a supinated position, the muscles preventing it from rolling are generally weaker. A supinated foot is synonymous with weak ankles.
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What causes supination?

If your ankles roll out (supinate) when you walk or run, and there is no structural reason for it, you are a hyperpronator (overpronator) in disguise. Supination is often a neuromuscular overcompensation for hyperpronation that causes you to subconsciously favor the outside of your feet in an attempt to minimize hyperpronation.

Structural reasons for supination could be injuries, surgery, malformations of the bones from birth.
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What is the impact of supination?

Since most supinators are hyperpronators in disguise, they generally suffer the same illnesses as do hyperpronators, but the onset us usually later in life (40). In addition, supination causes a harder than average heel strike, tight and sore calf muscles and shin splints from foot instability and overuse.

Higher than average incidents of rolling or spraining the ankle.

Runners who supinate are typically injured by impact from an unusually hard heel strike. Shin splints is a direct result of muscle overuse from foot instability.

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Motion Control

What is motion control?

In the footwear industry, motion control is usually referring to various technologies designed to overcome or slow down hyperpronation.
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How is motion control achieved?

Traditional thinking attempts to control the motion of the foot by immobilizing the arch and locking the heel in place (referred to as mid and rear foot control). This is done by using arch supports, heel shims and lacing systems to hold the heel in place. In recent years, shoe companies are also incorporating full length shims or multiple density materials to raise the inside of the entire shoe or to provide more resistance to the pronation motion (slowing it down).

Some people have reasonable success with these technologies, but the overall efficiency in terms of changing the biomechanics of the lower extremities is limited.
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What are motion control shoes?

Motion control shoes incorporate features (technology) aiming at reducing and controlling over-pronation and supination.
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What is the new concept of motion control?

Motion control from the forefoot is a paradigm shift. While podiatrists and shoe manufacturers have relied on mid foot (arch support) and rear foot control (heel posts), the new concept of motion control is that the foot, including mid and rear foot motion and stability can be controlled from the forefoot - specifically the first metatarsal.

This new concept relies on controlling motion using the body's muscles rather than passive support added or built into the shoes.

The new concept states that we can control the motion of the foot, lower extremity and body by providing a neuromuscular stimulus to the medial column of the foot – specifically the first metatarsal and the big toe.
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What is the advantage of correcting the forefoot?

The advantage is that forefoot correction works throughout the full gait cycle. It is simple and uses small dimensions so there is no need for bulky supports.

Proprioceptive forefoot correction immediately changes the gait from heel strike to toe off. People that walk with flared feet (duck walk) will notice how their feet immediately start pointing more forward. Over time they may normalize completely. The same applies to straightening a "pigeon toed" walk.
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How does neuromuscular motion control work?

We cannot say with certainty how it works. The brain and neurological signals are still being studied to discover this vital part of our bodies. What we do know for sure is that the Posture Control Insoles® solicit a bigger response (change in hyperpronation) than the dimensions of the insoles would warrant if they had provided support only. We therefore speculate that the neuromuscular system amplifies and to some degree customizes the input by activating muscles in response.
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Can Neuromuscular Motion Control® harm me?

No, this technology does not structurally change your foot. It does not roll your foot out (supinate) it even though it might feel like it in the beginning. This technology does not cause any permanent changes to your structural or muscular systems. Muscles strengthened by using Posture Control Insoles® will weaken if you discontinue wearing them in much the same way muscles atrophy when not exercised.

It is a technology where more is not necessarily better. Don't choose 6.0 mm over 3.5 mm just because you hurt a lot. Follow the process we describe because for many people 3.5 mm is just right.

If your Posture Control Insoles® do not feel completely natural after 7-10 days, call us for assistance. 888-790-4100

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Proprioception

What is proprioception?

Proprioception is the body’s sense of position, direction and motion based on sensory signals sent from the body to the brain. The brain acts on the signals as necessary by sending nervous signals to the muscles. Proprioception is the continuously regulating neuromuscular mechanism that allows you to stand upright even if someone bumps into you. Proprioception causes an immediate muscle action intended to regain balance and equilibrium.
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Are Posture Control Insoles® the only thing that causes proprioception?

No, any sensory input can cause a proprioceptive response. Try tickling someone or a getting a pebble in your shoe. Anything you put in your shoes will cause your feet to return a sensation to your brain, but the brain determines the appropriate response ranging from nothing to maximum speed muscle action. Posture Control Insoles® are designed to solicit a specific muscular response. For many, arch supports provoke unintended muscle action causing the feet to roll out (supination) or avoid the arch because it hurts.
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Is there a relationship between proprioception and muscle memory?

A good golfer plays by rote - muscle memory. Signals from thousands of sensors combine to form a memorized muscle activation pattern. Your gait and posture works the same way. The Posture Control Insoles® deliberately alter the sensation to change the feeling of your gait and posture. Over time you will adopt a new gait and posture pattern. This is why you get almost full benefit from your Posture Control Insoles if you wear them more than 70% of the time. If you wear them for shorter periods, or intermittently, you do not establish a memorized gait pattern.

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Shoes

Can I use Posture Control Insoles® with the shoes I have?

Yes, but there are a few exceptions. Do not use your Posture Control Insoles® with motion control or anti-pronation shoes. These shoes are either built up on the inside to tilt your foot out, or they are constructed with dual density materials which makes the inside (medial) harder than the outside (lateral).

If your shoes are worn out, throw them away. Do not put Posture Control Insoles® in them.

Posture Control Insoles® do not go well with shoes that are too wide or have a sloppy fit.

Posture Control Insoles® do not fit or work well with shoes that have an extremely curved last.
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What kind of shoes does Posture Dynamics recommend?

We have stayed away from recommending specific shoes and brands because shoes are first and foremost fashion and therefore, when you find a shoe you like - its a good idea to buy several pair, because you may never see them in the store again.

First find a shoe that is flat. A little heel is OK, but no lumps or bumps, toe grips, sunken heels, anti pronation and motion control devices.

Get a flexible shoe that accommodates the natural motion of your feet. The mid-sole on many shoes are too rigid.

A firm heel counter will help protect your ankle by supporting your heel.

Make sure the shoes fit snugly. If your foot can slide from side to side in the forefoot, the shoe is too wide. Wearing the Posture Control Insoles® will make your foot not twist as much within the shoe making a wider size unnecessary and undesirable.

Make sure the shoes are sufficiently long, about a thumb's width in front of the longest toe.

Excessive cushioning can contribute to instability of the foot. An Australian study identified air cushioned shoes as a high predictor of ankle injuries.

Most people do best in a straight last. People who have very high arches, even when standing, may be more comfortable in a curved last.

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Should I remove the insole (sock-liner) that came with the shoes?

The sock liners in most shoes are just cheap pieces of plastic designed to make the shoe look and feel a bit more elegant. Sometimes they actually have a function such as absorbing and transporting moisture, or they may be made of a cushioning material. If there is enough space in the shoe to slide the Posture Control Insoles® underneath the sock liner, they will last longer while still providing the same benefit. If this makes the shoe too tight, remove the sock-liner and if necessary substitute a thinner flat insole to make the shoe fit right. Its a good idea to keep your big toenail trimmed short.

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Security and Shopping Mortonsfoot.com

I'm afraid someone will steal my credit card information!

Here is a fact you might appreciate: We read about internet security breaches occasionally, but given the billions of secure data transmissions via the internet daily, the internet is far safer than flying in an airplane. We have taken every precaution to make sure your credit card information and your personal information is safeguarded when shopping at mortonsfoot.com. We do so by contracting with the most respected payment portal - Authorize.net. Your credit card information is transmitted to the payment portal via encrypted transmission.
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I don't want to receive unsolicited e-mail!

In our store on mortonsfoot.com, you are invited to disclose your e-mail as your log-in identity to access your account and to receive communications from Posture Dynamics. Our policy is not to share your personal information, including your e-mail address with any other individuals or entities. About four times per year, you will receive an e-mail from us containing new research or product information we believe will be of interest to you, or an announcement of a special sale on Posture Control Insoles. Any genuine e-mail from Posture Dynamics will include an option to be removed from the mailing list so as to receive no further e-mails from Posture Dynamics.
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Secure Feedback

To facilitate completely secure feedback from anyone via the internet, Posture Dynamics offers a secure feedback page. Any information you enter on this page will be transmitted to Posture Dynamics in an encrypted format.

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Getting Started

The ordering process is simple. Two quick evaluations will tell you exactly what Posture Control Insoles® to buy.

Check your shoe wear pattern

Check your foot mechanics

We'll show you exactly how. Click to proceed with your "2 minute evaluation".

Would you rather just test them in your shoes? You'll have what you need with the Perfect Fit™ package giving you both the 3.5 mm and the 6.0 mm pair - the second pair at a 40% discount.

Relief in just a few days: Start by choosing Gender and Size.

then

*Choose#1 (low) Arch for flat feet and mild Plantar Fasciitis. Choose #2 (high) Arch for severe Plantar Fasciitis. Otherwise choose NO arch support.

Perfect Fit™
$70.00 + S&H

Secure shopping

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