Aetrex Active

Same quarter-inch thickness, same Aetrex arch shape, different feel and different job.

Take the Active if you're covering ground: walking shoes, sneakers, hiking. Cork-blended core, Pro-Shox cushioning, a moisture-wicking top cover, and it returns faster underfoot.

Take the Premium Memory Foam if you're standing still: retail, nursing, teaching, kitchens. Memory foam, antimicrobial top cover, and Aetrex build it for everyday casual shoes.

If you genuinely do both, most people buy one of each and swap them between shoes.

This one is built for a medium arch with a cupped rearfoot and no metatarsal pad. If your arches are low or you roll inward when you walk, you want a posted orthotic instead. If you have ball-of-foot pain, you want the version with the metatarsal pad.

You can't tell your own arch height by looking. Come in and stand on the scanner for twenty seconds, or call (704) 846-0301 and describe where it hurts and what you do all day.

Your normal shoe size. Aetrex build these in whole sizes only, and there are no widths.

If you're a half size, go up rather than down. That's Aetrex's own instruction: a 9.5 takes the 10.

No. Aetrex publish no trim line and no trimming instructions for this style, so it isn't an insole you cut down. Some insoles are trim-to-fit and this one isn't, which is worth knowing before you take scissors to it.

If the size is wrong, return them unworn within 30 days.

Almost always, and this is the easiest line to fit. Take the shoe's own insole out first, then drop these in. Most sneakers and walking shoes have a removable insole and enough depth to take a quarter inch without changing how the shoe fits.

Where it gets tight is low-volume racing flats and some minimalist shoes. If that's what you're wearing, tell us and we'll tell you honestly.

Only if you have pain in the ball of your foot. The metatarsal version adds a pad that Aetrex describe as redistributing weight to relieve ball-of-foot discomfort. If that isn't your problem, the pad sits under a part of your foot that didn't ask for it.

Burning or aching under the ball, or the feeling of walking on a pebble, is the pattern that points to it. Call us if you're unsure.

A supported arch with a cupped heel is the standard first thing to try, and if your heel pain flares when you walk or run, a firmer insole in your athletic shoes is a sensible place to start.

What an over-the-counter orthotic can't do is replace a custom device made from a cast of your foot, and it isn't a treatment. If your heel pain is new, severe, or getting worse, get it looked at rather than buying an insole and hoping.

Aetrex say they're designed to be worn straight out of the box with no break-in required, but that some people prefer a few hours a day at first and build up. If you're putting them straight into a training block, ease in rather than doing your longest run of the week on day one.

On lifespan, Aetrex recommend replacing them every six to nine months depending on how much you're on your feet. Mileage counts, so a runner will be at the short end of that.

Yes to both. The scan is free, takes about twenty seconds, and you're under no obligation to buy anything from it. We're at 924 Park Center Dr, Ste 101, Matthews, NC 28105, open Monday to Friday 10 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 4.

Call (704) 846-0301 and you reach our fitting team, not a call center.