A new Australian Study claims that Formthotics foam foot insoles are as good as hard plastic orthotic insoles for people with chronic heel pain.

At La Trobe University, Melbourne, research was tested on New Zealand-made Formthotics, made by Christchurch-based Foot Science International against the more expensive hard custom foot orthotics generally favoured by podiatrists. The result showed that Formthotics and hard custom orthotics produce similar short-term benefits for people with heel pain but that Formthotics were significantly less expensive. La Trobe researcher Dr Karl Landorf said the study examined short- and long-term effectiveness of orthotic insoles in the treatment of 135 patients with heel pain.

New Zealand sports stars Claudia Riegler, Steve Gurney, Richard Hadlee and many All Blacks have used Formthotics to recover from heel or foot injuries and Formthotics medical director Charlie Baycroft said heel pain was a common problem that affected one in ten people worldwide.

Formthotics were chosen for the study because they are the most frequent alternative to rigid orthotics prescribed by Australasian podiatrists. They were invented in 1979 and are now exported to more than 25 countries for sports and health professionals.