1. Reviews of products, positive and negative – based only on those WITH plantar fasciitis, heel pain, over/under pronation, and related maladies. Sites that we have referenced for reviews include Amazon, each of the individual Manufacturer sites and plantar fasciitis and other related forums. Amazon also has a snippet for top reviews that are extremely useful (i.e. People who found this review helpful) in determining how many MORE people agree and disagree with that particular assessment of the product. Some reviews have hundreds of people that verify a user’s testament of a product.
2. Seal of Acceptance/Approval by the APMA (American Podiatric Medical Association) In order to promote awareness of products that promote good foot health – when applied consistently – the APMA has generated a list of products that pass their Physician-recommended criteria. Each product is approved upon acceptance by an APMA podiatrist. It is not a requirement for our list that a product be approved, but it is taken into consideration.
3. Brands that are known for a specific industry are beneficial as they have a higher focus on orthotic support through Research and Development.
4. Some products are inspired, designed and/or approved of by podiatrists themselves.