Almost all sports shoes today have insoles inside them that can provide extra comfort and support for the feet. The midsoles will give your foot the cushioning needed for impact protection, while the insoles will ensure that your feet will stay comfortable inside the shoes.
Unfortunately, there are many brands today that cheap out on insoles, as they opt to use insoles that bottom out quickly and do not offer an equal level of comfort after a few hours of walking, running, or jumping. Thankfully, these cheap insoles can easily be replaced with memory foam insoles, which are considered to be more comfortable and more durable.
What exactly are memory foam insoles? And how are they better than standard insoles? We will find out more as we take a closer look at memory foam insoles and their benefits.
What is a Memory Foam Insole?
A memory foam insole is a type of shoe insole that is primarily made of memory foam. If you don’t know, memory foam is a material made primarily of polyurethane, a form of plastic that is also often used on the midsoles of basketball shoes. However, the polyurethane that is used for the memory foam has added chemicals that increase the material’s density and viscosity.
The density of the memory foam allows it to be durable, while the viscosity of the material enables it to be molded into the shape of a person’s soles to provide a better fit. When you step on memory foam, you will notice that the soles of your feet create an imprint on the surface of the foam, and this imprint can then offer a customized fit for your feet. However, after a few minutes, the memory foam would return to its original shape or appearance, thus preventing it from bottoming out.
Memory foam is popularly used for pillows and mattresses because of its customized comfort. Memory foam offers support for the spine since the material molds to the shape of the spinal column whenever we lie on our back. The same support is also found in memory foam insoles, as they mold to the dips and arches of our feet.
What are the Benefits of Memory Foam Insoles?
Memory foam insoles are significantly better than most insoles used on basketball shoes, running shoes, and other types of sports shoes due to the benefits that they provide to the wearer. To learn more, here are the advantages of wearing memory foam insoles.
Improves the Comfort of Shoes
One of the most noticeable benefits of memory foam insoles is their ability to increase the comfort of shoes. When you insert memory foam insoles inside your favorite pair of shoes, you will immediately notice the difference in comfort between them and the original insoles. Whenever you are walking with memory foam insoles in your shoes, you will feel like you are walking on clouds because of how comfortable they are.
Supports the Arches of Your Feet
Another benefit of memory foam insoles is that they are effective in giving support to the arches of your feet. A lot of insoles used in sports shoes these days are flat, which means that they aren’t raised at the midfoot section to provide support for the arches. On the other hand, memory foam insoles mold to the shape of your feet’s soles, so there is cushioning given to your arches. If you want more support, there are also memory foam insoles that are designed specifically for people with high-arched feet, and these insoles have a raised section on the midfoot to accommodate the high arches.
Can Help in Alleviating Foot Pain
If you are experiencing foot pain because of insoles that bottom out too quickly, you should replace them with memory foam insoles to help alleviate the pain while also preventing it from occurring more often.
Because of how well memory foam insoles mold to your feet, they are great in providing much-needed support in the painful areas, as the pain often worsens when they aren’t supported by anything, and your body weight is weighing down on those areas. If you have plantar fasciitis and you have no choice but to wear shoes, you can insert a pair of memory foam insoles on your shoes to minimize pain while also letting the affected heel and midfoot heal.
Offers Extra Impact Protection
While midsoles are primarily responsible for impact protection, memory foam insoles can enhance the said feature of the midsoles since they also offer impact protection on their own. Impact protection is a feature of sports shoes that enables your feet to remain safe whenever you are running or jumping on a hard floor or surface, as the impact between the feet and the ground could often cause injuries like plantar fasciitis and sprains. With memory foam insoles and cushiony midsoles, the impact that your feet will feel will be minimized.
Reduces Fatigue
With memory foam insoles, your feet will experience reduced fatigue since it gets comfort, support, and protection in all areas of the soles. Minimizing fatigue on the feet requires the other benefits we have mentioned above, as increased impact protection and arch support are needed in order to keep your feet in top condition even after performing a lot of movements for exercise or for playing sports. Through the help of memory foam insoles, you will also be able to perform at your best for much longer compared to wearing normal insoles since they don’t quickly make your feet feel tired.
And these are just some of the best things you should know about memory foam insoles and how they can be beneficial for your feet. Of course, you wouldn’t really know if these memory foam insoles are comfortable for your feet unless you actually try them, so go on and buy a pair of insoles from a reputable brand and see if they truly make a difference.