Hume insists her work is designed to help people find what they need on the shelves of their local shoe shop. Photo: 123rf
An Auckland study into insoles aims to make relief more accessible to sufferers of pain in feet and throughout the body.
AUT professor of human performance Patria Hume has completed phase one of her research, with 91 volunteers monitored over eight weeks for their response to different kinds of insoles and how they eased discomfort.
"We looked at 10 different insole types to see which ones would be good for them in terms of foot, knee or back pain, and we found some really interesting results," Hume told Jim Mora on RNZ's Sunday Morning.
"Insoles with arch support were great at relieving pain, and insoles that helped control excessive foot movement and pronation, when the foot rolls inward too much, they also helped with pain relief.
"It was clear from those first 91 people that choosing the right type of insole can really significantly improve your comfort and pain for various conditions."
Hume is about to launch the second phase of her study - a two-week window for the public to visit testing centres to test four specific insole styles.
"The different insoles have different components," she said. "You want to look for cushioning, which can absorb the shock and reduce pressure on your feet.
"Another is the arch support, where they're built up, and that aligns your feet better and reduces pain.
"Also there's heel support, called a deep heel cup, which can stabilise your heel and help reduce pain.
"We want to see which of these components they like the best in terms of helping with pain relief and improving their comfort."
AUT professor of human performance Patria Hume. Photo: Supplied / AUT
Hume insists her work is designed to help people find what they need on the shelves of their local shoe shop, rather than having to spend time and money on specialist podiatrists.
"With the first study, we did a 3D scan of people's feet that really enabled us to see how high is your arch and where might the pain be," she said.
"The important thing with off-the-shelf insoles, they can provide immediate relief and support, so you may not have to see a podiatrist to get the specialist insole.
"That's the whole aim of the study - to make it more accessible to people to get pain relief."
Foot discomfort can also contribute to ailments throughout the body, particularly knees, hips and back.
"What people don't understand often is that when you change the movement of your foot, that changes the whole movement of your body," she said.
"If you have back pain, you may actually get relief by changing the way your foot moves - it's really important to think about your feet and your whole body."
While the first phase was carried out over eight weeks, this next stage involves a short half-hour visit to one of two testing stations at AUT Millennium in Rosedale or the AUT gym at Akoranga Drive. Email insole@aut.ac.nz or phone research officer Kieran on 021 071 7997 to enlist.
