Shin splints cause pain in your shins that can disrupt and delay any exercise routine and interfere with your daily life. The right pair of supportive insoles can help with shin splints relief as well as avoiding shin splints from occurring or recurring.
But there are so many insoles out there, what insole do you need for shin splints relief?
In this post we’ll discuss what to look for in a good pair of insoles for shin splints. We’ll also describe why SOLE footbeds are the best choice to help recover from shin splints faster and prevent shin splints from coming back.
What are shin splints?
To understand what makes a good insole for shin splints, it’s important to understand the condition. Also called Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome, shin splints occur through fatigue and overworking of the tibialis posterior, a muscle that’s crucial in stabilizing your ankles as you walk or run.
This overuse of the muscle causes inflammation in the tissue where the muscle attaches to your shin bone, the tibia. Shin splints cause aching or stabbing pain on the inner edge of your shin bone. This pain can occur while running or walking, and can also persist during rest.
Shin splints are most likely in people who have increased their exercise load dramatically (especially runners). People who have biomechanical inefficiencies or instability in their ankles are especially prone to this condition as the tibialis posterior must work harder with every step. This includes people with flat feet or overpronation, among other issues.
Three popular footbeds for shin splints.
How can insoles help shin splints?
A good pair of shoe inserts for shin splints will help reduce strain on the tibialis posterior to allow the muscle and connective tissue to heal. This will lead to relief from shin splints pain and help prevent shin splints from recurring.
The best way to reduce strain on the tibialis posterior is by ensuring you are walking or running on a healthy, stable base, with neutral alignment. This will allow your body to work with full efficiency from your feet upward.
It’s also important to reduce strain in your feet, and absorb some of the shock experienced by your feet, ankles and stabilizing muscles as you take each step.
To achieve these various aims, an orthotic for shin splints should combine dynamic arch support with a deep heel cup.
Supportive insoles for shin splints.
SOLE footbeds all feature the SOLE Signature Supportive Shape which combines dynamic arch support and a deep heel cup. These two features work together to help promote neutral alignment in your feet, ankles and beyond.
By supporting the arch from beneath, and cradling the heel from the back and sides, SOLE footbeds prevent inefficiencies of movement. This means less strain on your joints and the muscles that stabilize them like the tibialis posterior.
The arch support in SOLE footbeds is also dynamic, meaning it flexes with your foot as you take each stride. This helps to absorb shock, which also helps greatly to reduce the strain and stress experienced by your lower leg while running or walking. SOLE footbeds are clinically proven to reduce strain in the feet by an average of 34%.
One of the top recommendations for avoiding shin splints is ensuring your shoes aren’t worn out and can absorb shock effectively. SOLE footbeds approach shock absorption by adding anatomical support to help your feet themselves absorb the energy of impact more efficiently. This doesn’t replace good cushioning, but adds a level of energy absorption that foam cushioning alone can’t match.
Custom moldable orthotics for shin splints.
The best insoles for shin splints will conform to your unique feet to offer you support exactly where you need it. The most common option for this level of personalized support would be prescription orthotics. These can cost hundreds of dollars though, and the arch support they offer is often too rigid to be comfortable while running.
SOLE footbeds will custom mold to your unique fet and arch height, to give personalized support at a fraction of the cost of prescription orthotics. Simply slip them in your shoes and they’ll custom mold over a few days of wear. You also have the option of heat molding the footbeds in just a couple of minutes using your oven at home.
Heat molding the footbeds is especially valuable for people with flat feet, who are especially vulnerable to issues like shin splints.
The best insoles for shin splints and flat feet.
People with flat feet are particularly at risk for developing shin splints. This is because they lack the natural arch in their foot that stabilizes the foot and ankle and promotes healthy alignment.
An arch support insole is crucial for anyone with flat feet to avoid shin splints.
Insoles with arch support that’s too high can be painful for flat feet, while those with an arch designed specifically for flat feet can lack sufficient support to correct the issues they intend to. SOLE footbeds allow you to dial in a comfortable level of arch support while at the same time getting enough support to properly stabilize the feet and ankles.
If you have flat feet, we recommend you heat mold the footbeds before wearing them. You can even repeat the heat molding process up to five times to ensure a comfortable fit.
SOLE insoles are zero drop, with the heel and forefoot sitting at the same height.
SOLE insoles are zero drop, with the heel and forefoot sitting at the same height.
Zero drop shin splints insoles for running.
Whether you’re in marathon training, or just working toward your first 5K, shin splints can affect all runners who increase their workload. With the number of steps you take in each run, you are placing strain on your feet and all the mechanisms of your lower leg.
Reducing the strain you experience helps your feet and lower legs cope with the repetitive stress of taking thousands or tens of thousands of steps in a single workout.
Another relevant factor for many runners is that SOLE footbeds are zero drop. This means that the heel and forefoot sit at exactly the same height within your running shoe.
You can add a SOLE footbed to your running shoe without altering the heel-to-toe drop of the shoe. This avoids changing the dynamics of how weight is transferred as you run, which could further complicate your recovery from shin splints.
Which SOLE footbeds for shin splints?
SOLE footbeds come in three thicknesses, to fit any shoe. They all feature the same signature supportive shape.
Our Thin footbeds will fit tighter-fitting athletic footwear and running shoes. They boast excellent anatomical support, but lack any soft cushioning.
Our Medium footbeds feature a medium layer of cushioning. These are the favorite footbeds of runners and people who walk a lot in regular fitting running shoes.
If you’re looking for a maximum amount of softness and shock absorption, our Thick footbeds feature a luxuriously thick layer of non-compressing open cell cushioning. They take up quite a bit of space in your shoe though, so we recommend them for looser fitting running shoes, boots and other footwear with wiggle room to spare.
No matter which SOLE footbed you choice, you can rest assured you’re getting the targeted, personalizable support your feet need to help you recover from shin splints and prevent them from recurring.