Foot orthotics are frequently used to manage a wide range of foot disorders. The actual scientific evidence is they usually are helpful and that they work more often than not to help people with a range of different foot disorders. Even with that success there's a lot of people and clinicians who do not like foot orthotics, sometimes calling foot orthotics crutches and to be stopped as people can become dependant on them. Because of this they recommend against them and propose alternatives. There are a number of solutions that may be tried if an educated decision is made by each person 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 may be strengthened and reconditioned to support the arch. A possible problem with this strategy would it be isn't something that is going to occur in the short term and is more of a long term alternative. This is often a challenge if there is a lot of discomfort present and a short term solution is needed.
A different choice is to use flip flops that have the arch support built into them. There are actually numerous brands in the marketplace with the Archies Arch Support Thongs being one of the more popular. They are labeled “thongs” because that is what they call flip flops in Australia that is where these are made. There are actually a number of jokes about this vocabulary variation. The Archie thongs contains a 2.2 centimetre arch included in them which is quite much like what you can get in most pre-made foot supports. These are proving to be very well liked with podiatrists in Australia with lots of podiatry clinics selling them. This is an option that is in line with those who would rather use that style of footwear as a lifestyle option as foot orthotics may minimize the range of footwear which they can use.