Why Over-the-Counter Orthotics Are the Right Choice for Most People

If you've ever been told you need orthotics, you've probably also been quoted a price for custom ones — often $400 to $600, since they require a podiatrist visit, a cast or digital scan of your foot, and weeks of production time. Given that price tag, it's a fair question: do custom orthotics actually work better than an over-the-counter option like Superfeet or Powerstep? The research says: usually, no.

What the Research Shows

The research is more reassuring than most people expect. A 2009 meta-analysis pooling 11 studies and over 1,300 participants found that when it came to actual pain reduction, over-the-counter orthotics performed just as well as custom ones — both in the short term and at the one-year mark. A separate study on plantar heel pain found the same thing: after eight weeks, people wearing prefabricated orthotics saw the same reduction in pain as people wearing custom orthotics, at a fraction of the cost and without the multi-week wait for a custom device to be made.

None of this means custom orthotics are never worth it — a significant structural deformity or a complex condition your podiatrist has specifically evaluated may genuinely need a tailored device. But for the common, everyday complaints — general arch support, mild plantar fasciitis, standing fatigue, mild pronation — a well-chosen over-the-counter orthotic gets you comparable relief without the wait or the price tag.

The Catch: "Over-the-Counter" Doesn't Mean "Grab Any Box"

Here's what the research doesn't tell you: which over-the-counter orthotic is right for your foot. Not every insole is built for the same arch height, foot width, or pressure distribution, and grabbing the wrong one off the shelf can mean you don't get the benefit at all — sometimes it can even make things feel worse. The research assumes people ended up in an orthotic that actually matched their foot. That matching step is the part that gets skipped when you order online or guess in a drugstore aisle.

Getting Properly Fit In-Store, Backed by Real Data

This is exactly why we don't just point you toward a wall of insoles and let you guess. Both our Centerville and Draper locations use an Aetrex digital foot scanner to take precise measurements of your feet — length, width, arch height, and pressure distribution across the whole foot — in about a minute, with no guesswork involved.

That scan gives our staff actual data to work from: where you're bearing the most pressure, whether your arch is higher or lower than average, and whether your feet differ from each other (most people's do). From there, we can match you to the specific over-the-counter orthotic built for your foot type, rather than the one that happened to be recommended online for a foot shape that isn't yours.

It's a genuinely quick process, and there's no cost or obligation to get scanned — it's part of how we fit everyone who comes in, whether you're shopping for orthotics specifically or just want to know more about your own feet.

Come Get Scanned

Stop by Centerville or Draper for a quick scan on our Aetrex system, and we'll walk you through exactly which orthotic option fits your foot best — or browse our insoles collection if you already know what you're looking for.

This article summarizes published research for general educational purposes and isn't a substitute for individualized medical advice. If you have a diagnosed foot condition, talk to your podiatrist or physician about what's right for you.