There’s nothing quite like the durability of well-built work boots. Created for virtually any weather condition, work boots will protect you from the various hazards you may encounter on your jobsite, from flames and glass, to nails and screws.
However, they can lead to some potential negative issues. First, since work boots are so durable, they’re typically heavy, too. And their soles are often rigid.
As a result, you may eventually notice ankle and foot discomfort and pain. Furthermore, your feet and lower legs might begin to develop fatigue after you wear them for a certain length of time.
Not to mention, you may also encounter issues like bunions (when an individual’s big toes shift toward their smaller tools), Haglund’s deformity (when bony protrusions develop on the back sides of a person’s heel bones), heel spurs (when bone spurs develop on an individual’s heels’ undersides) and plantar fasciitis (when a person’s plantar fascia becomes inflamed and painful).
Thankfully, you can overcome each of these issues—or hopefully avoid them altogether—by wearing insoles, as they offer a wide array of benefits, including the following.
Why Buy Boot Insoles?
Developed to support your arches and soles as you wear work boots, insoles provide a comfortable surface for your feet. After all, they reduce any impact that occurs each time you walk, especially on hard, rough terrain. And, by decreasing these impacts, any shock absorption associated with them will decline as well.
In addition, insoles will help you improve your posture, as they support your arches, heels and toes, enabling you to no longer compensate your posture, as your back won’t have to shift to diminish your foot pain. Consequently, you’ll have less hip, lower back and knee pain too, each of which are tied to bad posture.
At the same time, you’ll have more endurance (as you’ll be able to walk for longer periods of time), less downtime (as you won’t have to take as many breaks to relieve your foot pain) and, in turn, higher productivity. And, finally, you’ll save a considerable amount of time and money, as you won’t have to visit a chiropractor or a doctor for the various maladies that a lack of insoles may cause—from blisters, heel and lower back pain, and sore feet, to the aforementioned issues like bunions and Haglund’s deformity.
To avoid each of these health issues or, at the very least, minimize them, consider purchasing one of the following insoles for your construction work boots.
Dr. Scholl’s Boot Insoles with Massaging Gel
Dr. Scholl’s Work Insoles with Massaging Gel.
Available in several sizes (eight to 14), these insoles have been designed for construction workers like you, especially if you’re on your feet all day. Highly comfortable, the insoles feature a Massaging Gel—which has softer, bouncier “gel waves” than the manufacturer’s previously released Massaging Gel insoles had—that will absorb shocks to your feet as you work on hard surfaces for long shifts. As a result of the Massaging Gel, which is essentially an extended cushioning, your muscle fatigue (sore, swollen and tired feet and legs) will decline, enabling you to work more efficiently for a longer period, regardless of the surfaces you walk on.
Best Features: Massaging Gel; softer, bouncier “gel waves” than previous versions
Price: $23.73 – Buy boot insoles on Amazon.com
EASYFEET Anti-fatigue Boot Insoles
EASYFEET Anti-fatigue Boot Insoles.
Comprised of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), along with a PU memory foam base, leading to robust arch support, these insoles have a highly breathable cover that reduces friction and heat as well. Highly comfortable, the insoles can be effortlessly trimmed too, according to your specific requirements. Featuring a deep heel cradle, which has built-in heel support, the insoles help you maintain your balance and posture, while also enabling you to minimize pain, along with the likelihood of issues like heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. During the first week you own them, you should consider wearing the insoles for three hours a day, at most, as your feet slowly adjust to them.
Best Features: Highly breathable cover; PU memory foam base
Price: $39.99 – Buy boot insoles on Amazon.com
KEEN Utility Men’s K-20 Boot Insoles
KEEN Utility Men’s K-20 Insoles.
Featuring a full length foam that absorbs shock and provides a rebound against solid surfaces, these insoles also have a centered heel cup, which has contoured cushioning. Available in a wide array of sizes, ranging from 6.5 to 14, the insoles will reduce your foot fatigue considerably. At the same time, the synthetic leather insoles will decrease any odor associated with long shifts in challenging environments, too. To do so, the insoles feature a probiotic-based technology, known as CLEANSPORT NXT, that enables microbes to bond to their surfaces. Once they’re activated by sweat, they’ll then diminish the organic materials that cause foot odors to begin with.
Best Features: CLEANSPORT NXT technology; full length foam for shock absorption
Price: $24.95 – Buy boot insoles on Amazon.com
Protalus T 100 Elite Boot Insoles
Protalus T 100 Elite Boot Insoles.
Designed to support your subtalar joints, these insoles, in turn, decrease stress on your ankles, hips and knees. Additionally, due to their unique designs, the insoles can spread your body’s weight across a larger surface area as well, resulting in less weight—per square inch—on each of your feet as you walk. Able to reduce impacts considerably, especially while you walk on rough terrain, leading to a decline in issues like plantar fasciitis, the insoles have patented heel cup designs, too. Due to their deep heel cups, the insoles offer you high comfort and support whenever you take a step, no matter what you walk on.
Best Features: Deep heel cups; design enables body weight to be spread across a large surface area
Price: $64.95 – Buy boot insoles on Amazon.com
Timberland PRO Men’s Anti-fatigue Technology Boot Insoles
Timberland PRO Men’s Anti-fatigue Technology Insoles.
Offered in a variety of sizes, ranging from 6 to 15, these insoles feature Anti-Fatigue Technology, which utilizes an inverted cone foam design to absorb shocks and return all energy back to your feet whenever you walk. A unique offering, the insoles’ inverted cone foam is lightweight and highly resilient, leading to long-term comfort. In addition, the insoles have OrthoLite top-layer foam, resulting in further comfort, along with moisture management. Utilizing an arch design that can adapt to practically any foot shape, the insoles also have anatomically contoured footbeds that provide you a high amount of comfort and support, even as you steadily walk for long shifts.
Best Features: Arch design adapts to foot shapes; inverted cone foam design absorbs shocks
Price: $29.90 - $41.89 – Buy boot insoles on Amazon.com
Things to Know about Boot Insoles
How often should I replace my boot insoles?
To ensure they support your feet as they should, thereby minimizing issues like blisters and bunions, you should replace them every six months.
How exactly should I clean them?
Handwash them with soap and lukewarm water. You can even use an item like a toothbrush (as long as its bristles are soft) to confirm you haven’t missed any dirty areas.
And how should I dry them?
Always air dry your work boot insoles. Don’t ever machine dry (or machine wash, in fact) them. And, to prevent potential damage, avoid contact with heat sources at all costs.
