Carboplast Thermoplastic Contoured Plate, Rigid, Small

These insoles are very effective at preventing the toes from bending while walking. I have osteoarthritis in one big toe, which makes walking very painful. I was walking cockeyed to keep the pain down, which was creating other issues with posture and back pain. I bought these insoles to test the theory that a stiffer insole would bring me relief from pain, and allow me to correct my walking without surgery. I figured at half the cost of orthotics, it was worth the risk.Usage: You insert them under the shoe's stock insole, which can be a bit of a hassle, especially with boots, because they do not bend. They have somewhat rough edges, almost like a carbon grinding blade, so you don't want to force them and damage the linings of your shoes. Same with getting them out again. One came with instructions for shaping and contouring, the other did not. You have to heat them to 400 degrees to change the contour and use a grinder to shape them. I have not modified mine, as they fit true to size, if perhaps a bit long and narrow. They even have a bit of an arch shape to them, though they are not left/right specific. .The good news: they do the job very well. Because these are super stiff, you have to get used to walking with them. I walk more on my heals now, and less on my toes. This has corrected my gait to be almost perfect (no more limping or gimpiness). They are very light and thin, so they don't make the shoe much tighter or heavier. I have tried them in several pairs of shoes and have had uniformly good results. I have been wearing them all day, every day for a couple of weeks, including three days at a trade show, with no problems.The bad news: well, not really bad, but important to remember. The stiffness means that you need shoes which lace tight enough to keep your heal down, or it will pop right up out of the shoe. Sneakers are fine, lace boots also. Loafers, not so good.With these good results, I am now going to visit with an orthotics maker to get an evaluation of how they can be shaped for improvement, or combined with a traditional orthotic, particularity for better arch support.UPDATE: after weeks of wear, I used a heat gun to add some curve upward at the front, which provides a big improvement in walking smoothness. Also used a Dremil tool to remove 3/8” off the toes to make them shorter and rounder. Now they go in and out of shoes easier. Love these things!

Had MRI on Tuesday and was told I had two broken toes on Thursday. I had a full week of Boy Scout Summer Camp coming up the next week with my son and the rigid sole boot they gave me was not going to cut it with all the mud I was expecting. Bought this and cut it down to fit my hiking boots. Threw it in and put an insole on top of it. It worked absolutely superbly, preventing my toes from bending just like the boot provided by the hospital. All told, I walked and hiked around 74 miles this week through downpours and more mud than should be legally allowed. These were an absolute fun-saver!!! Highly recommend!!!

I have hallux rigidus (arthritis) in my big toe. I bought one of these as a last-ditch effort for my toe pain (they are sold in singles, not pairs) on the recommendation of my podiatrist. He warned me not to rely on these for 100% use, because they can affect my gate. I use these mostly when needed in my work boots, or if I have to wear certain dress shoes. Not necessarily the most comfortable, but keeping my foot from bending and inflicting horrible toe pain is my purpose, and it works for that. I use these mostly when needed in my work boots, or if I have to wear certain dress shoes. Not necessarily the most comfortable, but keeping my foot from bending resulting in horrible toe pain is my purpose, and it works for that. Caution, if used for too long of a period of time it will change your gate and will cause some calf or lower leg pain. I rely on HOKA rocker sole tennis shoes most of the time, but use this insert for those specific use shoes that are difficult to find with rocker soles. Will eventually need surgery, but this has been a good choice to help put off the inevitable. Takes a little while to get used to. The inserts are very hard and I would imagine they are difficult to adjust to fit certain size shoes, luckily for my boots and dress shoes they fit well. Unfortunately they are quite costly, especially for just one insert, but I really haven't found any other alternatives that provide similar relief.

I liked the one I bought so much that I bought another for a different pair of shoes. I have had three foot operations, and probably need another. Just the way life is. But what this little guy does is keep my toes from bending, and that is a MAJOR relief. It fits easily inside my shoe.My only "complaint" is that I have a (very) wide foot, and these only come in one size, which is a standard width. But it works fine.I have also paid big bucks to have steel shanks put into my shoes to keep them from bending. The advantage of this plate is that I can move them from shoe to shoe and so will not need to alter my shoes. Will save money.Update 5 months later: Have returned from a road trip where we hiked 450 miles. No problems with the damaged toe. Put on an old pair of shoes and did 30 minutes of yard work and the toe problem returned. Granted I am using these along with a steel shank, so cannot pinpoint the exact reason for the benefit. However, the steel shank bends a bit more than this insert does, so take that for what value it might have for you.It certainly beats experimenting with a toe amputation, which is what the doctor recommended.