Each year, a whopping 2 million Americans find themselves battling heel pain.

Don't panic, though. While heel pain can certainly throw a wrench in your daily activities, especially that morning jog, it's rarely a sign of something super serious. That said, if you ignore mild heel pain, it could turn into a more persistent, chronic pain. Nobody wants that!

Where's This Heel Pain Coming From?

Think about all the hard work your feet do every day. From walking around the office to busting a move on the dance floor, your feet are constantly under pressure. The heel, in particular, takes a lot of the heat, making it vulnerable to pain.

One of the big culprits? Overdoing things, particularly in shoes that offer about as much support as a wet noodle. This can lead to inflammation of a ligament at the bottom of your foot, a condition called plantar fasciitis.

Is It Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis symptoms usually sneak up on you gradually. The main symptom is pain at the bottom of the heel, which can sometimes spread to the arch of your foot. You'll probably notice the pain is worse when you start moving after resting and eases up as you keep moving.

You might also find the pain ramps up at the end of the day after you've been on your feet a lot. Swelling, inflammation, and stiffness can also be part of the package.

How to Cure Heel Pain Fast

The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society suggests starting with over-the-counter insoles and stretching exercises to ease heel pain.

One study found that around 95% of people who used store-bought shoe inserts and did some simple stretches had significant relief from heel pain in just eight weeks. So, these insoles can be a pretty solid first step for treating heel pain.

Do I Need Fancy, Custom Orthotics?

You might think you need expensive, custom-made orthotics from a podiatrist. But for most people with plantar fasciitis, over-the-counter inserts can do the trick. They're way cheaper and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, so you don't have to swap out your entire shoe collection.

So, while it might seem too easy, understanding what plantar fasciitis is and how a good insole can help shows why an effective solution doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

Top 5 Heel Pain Inserts for 2024

🏆 "Our 2024 Top Pick" 🏆

#1- Samurai Insoles Shoguns

Why are Samurai Insoles Shoguns our top pick for 2024 for heel pain?

✔️ Design: Samurai Insoles Shoguns are one of the few products on the market that are an ACTUAL ORTHOTIC that is not super rigid. This gives your feet the support they need to comfortably relieve heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis.

They also can be worn in nearly ANY shoe with a removable insole, giving you the flexibility of using them in many types of shoes!

And the best part?

Because they aren't an insole made of foam and fabric, they last SO LONG!

There isn't anything to wear out, just put them under the factory insoles of a new pair of shoes and you're good to go.

✔️ Price: At $39.99 these are an absolute steal!  Custom orthotics for plantar fasciitis can easily cost more than $500. For less than 1/10 the price, these are nearly as good.

✔️ One Year Warranty: Samurai Insoles Shoguns have a One Year Warranty! No other product in this category even comes CLOSE to our knowledge. Wow!

✔️ Made in the USA: Samurai Insoles are made in an orthotic lab in the USA. The fact that a professionally made orthotic, fabricated in an American orthotic laboratory, can be purchased for under $40 is amazing!

Here is the founder of Samurai Insoles demonstrating Shoguns arch support inserts-

#2- Protalus Insoles T-100 Elite Series

If you've been on the internet in the last year, you haven't sneezed without seeing a Protalus ad. They are comfy and can be very beneficial for flat feet. Protalus' hefty price tag remains their biggest negative.

✔️ Design: Protalus "kind of" has an orthotic merged with an insole. Protalus took a different approach by combining a thick piece of plastic on the bottom of the insole, instead of inside. This definitely does the job, but it also makes them thicker than Samurai Insoles, reducing the choices of shoes they'll fit in well.

❌ Price: Here's the problem with Protalus; they're SO expensive! At the time of writing this the current retail is $64.95. Oof. For that kind of money you'd better REALLY love them. It also reduces the chances you'd buy a whole bunch of them to put in all of your shoes.

✔️ 90 Warranty: Protalus products have a 90 day warranty.  It's not one year like the Samurai Insoles Ninjas, but better than nothing...

❌ Made in the USA: Protalus insoles are NOT made in the USA unfortunately. For the price we wish they were.

#3- Superfeet Green Insoles 

Superfeet have been around a LONG time. They got their start being sold in retail sporting goods stores, and have transitioned to selling online in recent years, but this has presented the company with some challenges.

✔️ Design: If you've checked out the Protalus design, just know that the Superfeet did it first. They were one of the first to incorporate an orthotic plastic layer on the outside of the insole. Once again, this does the job, but it also makes them thicker than the Samurai, reducing the choices of shoes they'll fit well in.

✔️ Price: Superfeet are also in the pricey range, current retail at the time of writing this article is $54.95.

✔️ 60 Day Warranty: Superfeet green insoles come with a 60 day warranty, significantly less than Samurai Insoles Shoguns or Protalus products.

❌ Made in the USA: Superfeet are not made in the USA unfortunately. Once again, for this price we had hoped they would be.

#4- Dr. Scholl's Custom fit Orthotic Inserts 

✔️ Design: Not a full length insole, but still designed to be placed on top of your shoes factory insoles, which may make it difficult for some people to adjust to the feel of this. Once again, Dr. Scholl's Custom Fit combine a thick piece of plastic to the bottom of the insole, instead of inside.

❌ Price: Dr. Scholl's Custom fit Orthotic Inserts currently are our second most expensive selection.  At the time of this article they are $49.96 retail price.

✔️ 90 Day Warranty: Dr. Scholls Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts have a 90 day warranty. 

❌ Made in the USA: Dr. Scholl's "Custom fit" Orthotic Inserts are not made in the USA unfortunately.

 

#5- Dr. Scholl's Plantar Fasciitis Orthotics

❌ Design: Well, unfortunately, there isn't much of one. Dr. Scholl’s Pain Relief Orthotics for Plantar Fasciitis are a very thin insole with a *very* thin piece of plastic glued to the bottom. It's unclear how much weight they can hold before flattening out, but by the looks of it, not much.

✔️ Price: Well, they are affordable at $31.00! 

✔️ 90 Day Warranty: Dr. Scholl’s Plantar Fasciitis Orthotics have a 90 day warranty. 

❌ Made in the USA: Dr. Scholl's Pain Relief Orthotic Inserts are not made in the USA unfortunately.

 

Whichever you choose to fight your plantar fasciitis pain, choose now!

The longer you allow plantar fasciitis pain to linger, the harder it is to get rid of, and the longer it will take!

We, Samurai Wellness, LLC, are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Samurai Insoles are branded products made by our company, Samurai Wellness, LLC, but we truly believe that our products are the best on the market! It is important to know that our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.