What’s the Best Material for Insoles?
As most people move throughout the day, they spend a great deal of time punishing their feet. Whether walking, running, standing for prolonged periods, or engaging in sporting activity, your feet are being subjected to forces that can cause, not only discomfort, but serious medical issues.
Forces that need to be controlled
Every time that a runner’s foot pounds the pavement, that foot is subjected to impact force. Impact force delivers a shock, in the form of energy, to the runner’s foot. This shock energy not only causes pain and orthopedic problems in the foot, it is also transmitted up the body, resulting in maladies of the ankle, knee, hip, and even the lower back. Workers that spend hours on their feet experience compressive stress, a smashing force that can cause damage to vulnerable internal structures—nerves, blood vessels, tendons. Engaging in sporting activities can subject the feet to a combination of shock, compressive stress, and shear force. Shear forces result when surfaces rub against or move over one another. These forces may cause breakdown of skin and other tissues. To avoid the pain and medical problems connected with impact force, compressive stress, and shear force, you need a material that will absorb the energy of these forces. An insole made with this material will absorb this damaging energy before it can cause problems.
What’s the best material for insoles?
Sorbothane®— the best energy absorbing material on the market—is the best material for insoles.
What is Sorbothane and why does it make the best energy absorbing insole?
Sorbothane is a proprietary viscoelastic polymeric material. Viscoelastic means that Sorbothane exhibits attributes of both liquids (viscous solutions—ones that can flow) and solids (elastic materials). Sorbothane flows like a liquid when it is under a load (ex. compressive stress, impact force, or shear force). It behaves as an elastic solid by returning to its original shape after forces are removed. Unique to viscoelastic materials, Sorbothane disperses absorbed energy, in a safe and controlled manner, outward from the source of impact in the form of heat. In many applications, Sorbothane has achieved shock energy absorption of near 95%, and achieves this effectively—for millions of cycles. In short, you need to know—what’s the best material for insoles? Sorbothane is specified by engineers worldwide for its energy absorption properties. Additionally, this material can be caste in any size, shape, or color, and conforms to irregular surfaces for maximum contact. Sorbothane® is, by far, the best material for insoles.
Standard Sorbothane products and customization
Sorbothane has created a line of insoles that will protect against the damaging energy caused by impact shock, compressive stress, and shear force. Our Sorbothane RX Sorbo® have been shown to significantly relieve foot discomfort resulting from medical conditions including—shin splints, skin ulcerations, and heel spurs. Our Performance Insoles, ideal for sporting activity, minimize injury while maximizing performance. Our Performance Graphite Arch Insoles not only contain energy absorbing Sorbothane, we have also incorporated an orthotic arch for support. Contact our experienced engineering staff for assistance with your unique Sorbothane needs.