Who doesn’t love a nice upgrade?  Wether that is to make a new sneaker better, or to easily replace the worn out insert of a trusted and beloved shoe.  Looking for a no-fuss upgrade?  Swapping out inserts is probably the easiest thing you can do.  It’s even easier than replacing shoe laces, and way easier than having your tendons replaced.  The Shoe Smith carries Birkenstock, Foundation, Spenco, Cadence, Kneed, Aetrex, and Powerstep brands of inserts.

History of the Foot

Your feet are a complicated feat of biological engineering.  A boon to the first land-walking fish, it surely made all the other land flopping fish jealous.  They’re made up of a ton of ligaments, tendons, and bones.  Scientifically speaking they are a whole lot of complicated stuff happening in deceptively simple package.  The goal is to keep them in optimal working order, but not all feet are in pristine condition.  Parts get worn out or damaged, and unlike footwear they aren’t so easy to repair or replace.  Before you decide to have your feet replaced you should stop by The Shoe Smith, 503 Main St, Willimantic, CT and look into getting your shoes and the inserts that go into them replaced first.  Check our testimonials that are from real human customers who aren’t actors or computer generated, and see how many were on the verge of getting foot surgery.

Scientific foot diagrams in Latin.  The language that nobody speaks.

Orthotics, Inserts, Arch Support

What are orthotics?  We wrote the blog on that!   Step right up to our Aetrex foot scanner and have all the parameters of your feet measured.  Every foot is different, and that’s why inserts need to be diverse or custom made.  Inserts that come with shoes are typically thin and flat, whereas custom inserts can vary in hardness/softness, arch support and accommodate common foot disorders.  The Cadence Exclusive has a firm shell, higher arch, tapered toe so the insert doesn’t take up valuable foot room.  Hundreds of variations of inserts are available, and having the right one can help to relieve foot, knee, and back pain.

Aetrex Foot Scanner Display.

Podiatrists Love The Shoe Smith!

We have a digitizer and milling machine for making custom inserts suited to your feet with brands like Amfit, Birkenstock and Powerstep.  These can be full-length or ¾-length orthotics, that keep your foot balanced and reduce the likelihood of foot injury or stress. Computer-driven milling creates a digital replica of the soles of your feet, resulting in a pair of inserts that precisely match your prescription. Your foot pronation is also mapped, and you can test the feel and effect before it is finished.  The goal is to keep your knee lined up over your ankle, so that you have basic functional walking.  When you toe off with each step you roll off the front of your foot.  If you have flat feet you turn your foot out and walk on the side of your foot.  In situations that may involve ulcers, amputations, bunions you are walking irregularly to compensate for a damaged foot.  Diabetics benefit from molded inserts for preventing calluses, skin breakdown, ulcerations, loss of blood circulation in the feet, and at its most extreme amputations.

The Shoe Smith pointing to his favorite fake foot.