Foot orthotics are widely used to deal with a number of foot disorders. The actual scientific research is that they are usually effective and they also work most of the time to help people with a variety of different foot disorders. Regardless of that success there are plenty of people and health professionals who do not like foot orthotics, sometimes calling them crutches and to be avoided as people could become dependant on their use. For this reason they advocate against using foot orthotics and propose alternatives. There are various of options that might be looked at if an well informed decision is made by each person as to what is the best for them. One option is muscle strengthening. The muscles which support the arch of the feet might be strengthened and reconditioned to support the arch. The only issue with this method could it be will not be something which will probably happen in the short term and is much more of a long term alternative. This can be a concern if there is a lot of pain present and a short term treatment is needed.
A different option is to use flip flops that have the arch support built into them. You can find multiple brands in the marketplace with the Archies Arch Support Thongs being among the more common. They are called “thongs” as that is what they name flip flops in Australia which is where these are manufactured. There are actually many jokes about this vocabulary variation. The Archie thongs features a 2.2 cm arch included in them which is very much like what you can get in the majority of pre-made foot supports. These are becoming really popular with podiatrists in Australia with lots of podiatry centers promoting them. This is an option that is in keeping with people who would rather use that type of footwear as a lifestyle option as foot supports can restrict the range of footwear which can be used.