Foot supports are frequently used to deal with a number of foot disorders. The actual scientific data is they are usually successful and that they help most of the time to help people with a variety of different foot conditions. Irrespective of that success there are lots of people and clinicians who don't recommend them, occasionally calling them crutches and to be avoided as people could become dependant on them. Because of this they recommend against using foot orthotics and advocate alternate options. There are numerous of choices that could be looked at if an well informed decision is made by each individual in regards to what is the best for them. One choice is muscle strengthening. The muscles which support the mid-foot (arch) of the foot could be strengthened and reconditioned to support the arch. A possible problem with this strategy is that it isn't something that is going to take place in the short term and it is much more of a long term alternative. This may be a dilemma if there is a lot of pain existing and a short term treatment is needed.
A different alternative is to use flip flops which have the arch support included in the design. You can find many brands available on the market with the Archies Arch Support Thongs being among the more common. They are named “thongs” as that's what they name flip flops in Australia which is where they are made. You can find quite a few jokes about this terminology variation. The Archie thongs contains a 2.2 cm arch constructed into them which is pretty similar to what you get in many pre-fabricated foot supports. These are proving to be quite popular with podiatrists in Australia with numerous podiatry centers selling them. This is an alternative which is in line with those that prefer to use that style of footwear as a lifestyle option as foot orthotics may reduce the range of shoes which they can use.