Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought these to alleviate Morton's neuroma. Here are some of the treatments I've tried (this product last): 1) Silicone stick-on pads. Useful, but the stickum wears off and they start sliding around in my shoe after a few hours or days. I've used them a lot, but have to readjust the position often. 2) Thicker silicone pads that go under the shoe insole. These are also OK, but the pad behind my toe "knuckles" is too squishy for my liking (and the thickness transition is not abrupt enough). These are for running shoes. They stay in place reasonably well if they go under the insole, but not all shoes have removable insoles. 3) 1/4" felt pads that stick to your foot. These work the best of all treatments for standing and normal walking. However, for long walks or runs, they can produce a blister on the soft underside of your arch. They are always perfectly positioned (just behind the knuckles of your toes), but for me they are inconvenient and costly ($0.50 to $1.00 per pad). They can be reused 2-4 times, but they don't smell too nice after the first time. I like to have these around for when I wear sandals, slippers, or just old socks around the house (they can also be stuck down to the sandal bed, where they will stay for months). 4) Athletic insoles (full) with metatarsal pad. I typically find that the metatarsal pad is not high enough and the positioning is too far back for my foot. This could be a consequence of limited sizes available (small, medium, large). 5) Emsold Ultra Thin Orthotic with Metatarsal Pad and Deep Heel Cup (this product). I chose these because I wanted an everyday solution for my work shoes, which didn't require continual readjustment. I've used them for only a couple of days so far, but I am really pleased. The construction seems to be of very high quality: The rigid mold has a raised arch and metatarsal bump, with a smooth (but not shiny) leather top that seems to be glued down very securely. There is padding over the metatarsal bump, which compresses no more than 2mm. This is exactly what is required to open the toe-knuckles and relieve the discomfort of Morton's neuroma *and they DO relieve the discomfort!* The heel cup is deep enough that the metatarsal pad gets positioned in the same place each time you put on the shoe. The transition at the front of the 3/4-length insole is barely noticeable underfoot, perhaps because the leather extends over the front of the rigid mold by about 1mm. When I bought these, their cost was about 1/2 as much as typical athletic-shoe insoles (#4 above) and twice as much as a pair of silicone stick-on pads (#1 above). They work great, and with all of the sizes available, they may be as close to custom orthotics as you can get. They may not be designed for sports, but I'm looking forward to trying them in cycling shoes, where rigidity is a plus, and the 3/4 length won't block the shoe ventilation. Might try running in them as well. [EDIT] After about 4 months, these are still great! I wear them daily for work, and really appreciate the relief that they bring. These are not designed to be a sports insert, but I've also tried them in cycling and running shoes. They alleviated my MN problem in each case, and I continue to use them for cycling, so that's a bonus. However, for my running shoes, which are pretty light and snug, the heel cup is a little too broad (stretches the shoe) and the little bit of extra heel lift from the insert tightens up the shoe against my fairly high instep. So for running I typically opt for a silicone pad. Still extremely satisfied, since I didn't buy them for sports.