Pedag Step 166475 Symmetrical Self Adhesive Arch Support Inserts

I bought 3 pairs medium and 3 pairs large of this arch support brand 3 years ago in December 2022. My husband and I really like them. After all this time they are still stuck to the shoe bed and still completely intact. Very well made. Very effective at keeping my feet comfortable and pain free. Im here today to buy more of them. Note - these are hard. Do not think these will be some kind of memory foam squish pad. These ARE hard AND they provide great support. The size indicates height and length.

These are a great alternative to orthotics, which I need to use to correct severe pronation in both my feet. They are kind of massive (height, width and lengthwise) in a good way as they fully support my feet. The arch is actually higher than that in any of my orthotics, which I appreciate as I need to use arch boosters under my orthotics (I use Powerstep brand) to lift the arch up for additional support. Unlike other stand-alone arch supports I've tried, these blend into my shoes really well. Others have a "drop" where the arch support meets the footbed, which can be painful. These have a very gradual slope, so they conform to feel like a natural part of the shoe. They work well in some shoes that a standard orthotic doesn't work in, and in shoes that already feet my feet well and thus become too tight/ill-fitting with an orthotic. I've currently got these in a pair of slingbacks that have enough coverage to hide the insert (Fly London Yala) as well as a pair of booties (Gentle Souls Bayco.) I wasn't able to use them in ballet flats as the arch is simply too high, making them visible over the side of the shoe. I'm ordering another set in the next size down to see how they work out. What these are lacking, compared to orthotics, is any support for the rest of the foot or a heel cup to keep the foot stabilized. However, in shoes with a nice footbed that have sufficient ankle support, I'd take these over an orthotic any day. Full-size orthotics are way to bulky to wear in most of my shoes, and even slender-fit ones just take up too much space and throw off the fit, making my shoes less comfortable. I've tried quite a few Pedag products and they're always high-quality and well-made. The adhesive in these things (like their other products) is hard as nails. Once you set them and wear them for a day, they do not budge. That said, I have been able to lift them out to adjust the placement, so you're not stuck with a position that doesn't work as long as you don't wear the shoes they're in for any length of time. I should add that I got a pair of the Pedag Balance arch supports and the arch support is too low to correct for pronation. I wear a women's 41/10.5 shoe and got these in size L.

My review concerns an application for which these inserts were not specifically designed for. But for some people, they may be an effective, and relatively inexpensive, solution. This review also covers three Pedag products that I bought. I'm posting the same review under the three separate Pedag products. I have flat feet. For my everyday shoes, I have a pair of prescription full-length orthotics. I figure skate, and my orthotics are not suitable for use with figure skating boots. In figure skating, flat feet create a major problem because your ankles fall over to the inside edges of the blades, and you have poor edge control. Some boots (such as my old Riedell Royals) have a substantial built-in arch support; others (such as my new Jackson Elites) have no built-in arch support at all. Orthotics for regular shoes usually depend on a heel cup to maintain proper alignment of the orthotic to the foot. These can't be used in figure skating boots, however, because a figure skating boot has a built-in narrow heel cup to grasp the heel of the foot firmly, essential in figure skating. The heel cup of the orthotic would interfere with the heel cup of the figure skating boot. A full-length orthotic usually also doesn't work, because the toe box of most figure skating boots is tightly fitted, and a full-length orthotic would cause toe cramping. So the Pedag "Step" and "Balance" arch support inserts are worth a try. They are local arch supports only. No heel cup and no extra cushioning in the toe area. It's difficult to know in advance whether any over-the-counter solution will work. Each foot and each boot are different. So you simply need to try them out. The Pedag price point (~$10 -13) allowed me to do that. The Step is sold as a symmetrical pair (the left-foot insert and the right-foot insert are identical). The Balance is sold as an asymmetrical pair (the left-foot insert and the right-foot insert are different). Buying the Balance may be a problem if your left foot and right foot need different degrees of correction. See further comment below. The Balance has a considerably lower height than the Step. These inserts are fabricated from rubber, and the top is covered with leather. They have a good combination of resiliency and rigidity. Foam and gel are too mushy for figure skating use. And rigid plastic, metal, or carbon shells will dig into your foot and cause pain if the fit is not spot-on (which is unlikely for an over-the-counter product). The Step is sold in a choice of two colors: tan and black. I'm sure Pedag did marketing research and decided there was a market need for two colors, but I don't see why. There is a another difference between the tan and the black models, besides the obvious difference in color. The tan leather is noticeably thicker than the black leather. I wrote to Pedag customer support. A customer rep named Rose (who also tracks these Amazon reviews) told me that the tan leather is sheepskin. Sheepskin doesn't take dye well, so the black leather is pigskin. Since pigskin is stronger than sheepskin, the pigskin can be made thinner, but be just as durable as the thicker sheepskin. So there you have that interesting tidbit. I first bought the Step and the Balance in tan. I wear a US 9D men's street shoe. Following the Pedag size charts, I bought the large size. I later bought the Step in black, in the extra-large size. I really didn't want the black, but Amazon was out of stock in tan, extra-large. My left foot has some semblance of an arch; my right arch is completely fallen. The major flaw in the Pedag inserts is their method of attachment (my reason for knocking off one star). They come with a double-sided adhesive film stuck onto the bottom rubber surface. The adhesive film is covered with a liner sheet. The adhesive is very weak and does not adhere well to the rubber. Unless you remove the liner very carefully, you will also pull the film off the rubber; the film then sticks tightly to itself and is useless. But no matter, the adhesive won't hold well to an insole anyway and doesn't allow for repositioning. My solution is Velcro tape. Velcro tape comes in two mating portions: a soft, felt-like portion and a hard, bristle-like portion. I covered a portion of the insole with the soft portion. I removed the adhesive film from the insert and covered the rubber surface with the hard portion. The Velcro allowed me to move the insert around to find the best position. But it also holds the insert firmly in place. If you share the same inserts among different pairs of boots or shoes, Velcro is also the way to go. Just trace the outline of the insert on the insole, so you know what the proper position is the next time you use them. The soft portion of Velcro on the insole does not interfere with normal wear should you choose not to use the insert. My results: (a) With the Riedell Royals, the Step was too high and caused pain in my arches. A working solution is no insert in my left boot and a Balance in my right boot. So I now have a left insert that is useless to me. Note to Pedag: You might want to consider selling the Balance as individual left and right inserts. (b) With the Jackson Elites, the Balance was too low, and my ankles flopped over into the inside edges. The Step is very effective. The extra-large turned out to be a better fit than the large. I position the insert in my right boot to give more lift than in my left boot. I've skated about a dozen times now with this configuration and am happy with my edge control. I'll provide an update after extended use.

I started using these a couple years ago after having sharp pains in my feet related to walking a couple miles a day round trip in my work commute (I'm 40 years old). The difference is amazing, I never get the same sharp pains any more. The improvement was very quick, within just a few days of adding the supports. They are a must-have for flat soled unsupportive shoes like Converse. Now I add the supports into every new pair of shoes I buy. They are very well made and will probably outlast your shoes! I have a pair of Converse that is a couple years old and starting to fall apart, but the arch supports look practically new. The supports are still solid and firm, and the adhesive hasn't lost its grip at all. I may even try recycling them into my next shoes! Some tips to install them properly: - Remove the shoelaces entirely! - Put the supports into your shoes with the backing still covering the adhesive. - Step into the shoes and *stand up*, wiggle your feet around until the supports naturally settle into the right spot. - Slide your fingers into the instep of each shoe, do your best to hold the supports in place as you pull your feet out. - Make a note of where the support lines up against the inner seams, logo, etc inside the shoe as a reference point. - Peel back just a *small* corner of the backing on the supports, and put them back into the place you referenced. - Step into your shoes again and stand up, confirm that the placement feels correct. - Peel off the entire backing, and put the supports in their final location. - Put the shoelaces back on. The supports might feel odd or a little too high at first, but they will settle in after wearing for a few days, then you will not even notice they are there (other than your feet not hurting!).

I have a very bad bunion on one foot that I am trying to delay surgery on as long as possible. I discovered that arch support greatly reduced my pain. I started out with Dr. Scholl's for Her Hidden Arch Supports 1 pair gel inserts, which are ok, but the Pedag Step is awesome! After moving it around a bit to find the right spot with the backing paper still on, I stuck it in place. As stated in other reviews, the stickiness is seriously strong! Rock solid, no peeling or shifting etc. Granted I've only had it for a couple of weeks, but it seems strong enough to stay put. I was actually a little nervous about ruining the footbed in my beloved $100+ Dansko sandals, but I'm glad I took the risk. If it ever does come off I'll use Shoe Goo to stick it on there permanently. Though they are definitely more noticeable than clear gel "hidden" supports, the tan color is not too obvious against the standard Dansko sandal color. While you're actually wearing the shoes in question, they do not show at all. I'm not sure if that would hold true in very open sandals without any kind of strap near the arch - you would probably be able to see the structure part of the insert (which is white). I would definitely get the black ones for darker footbeds. I wear a women's size 9 wide, and the medium is a good fit. I would bet that the other sizes are pretty consistent too. I'm also glad that I went with Step instead of Pedag 165 Balance Leather, Self Adhesive Arch Support, Flatfoot Wedge, Extra Large (Men's 10 13) , since these are both the same shape I can use both of them in left shoes (only one bad foot) and get two pairs of shoes supported for the price of one. They are quite firm, not like the gel ones that "squish" a little when you step on them. The Steps don't give much when you step on them. However, since the metatarsal movement due to the collapsing of the arch while walking is exactly what I'm trying to avoid, I consider that a good thing. I also find the harder surface more comfortable than the gel. The one thing that I was looking for but not able to find in other reviews was the actual dimensions of the insert (isn't listed on Pedag's site either). The women's medium is 4" long tip to tip, 2 5/8" wide, and 7/8" high arch. That may not seem like much, but the Dr. Scholl's gel supports are only 3/8" high. I found that the extra height feels much more supportive. The 4" length is actually pretty substantial, and could be tricky if you are also trying to use Pedag 134 Drop Metatarsal Pad for the Early Signs of Splayfoot, White Leather, Medium (8L to 7M) . I want to use them as well, but so far haven't found a comfortable position that doesn't overlap the arch support (shoe size 9 wide, if your feet are larger that may not be a problem). I rather doubt that the even larger Pedag #PEDTFORM Pedag T-Form Metatarsal Pad - Standard Size Medium would fit in the same shoe with a Step. Overall, excellent product that lives up to its claims. Well made, durable, and highly functional. I will be buying them for all of my shoes.

These are well-made for the most part, but as others have stated in their reviews, there isn’t any actual adhesive to get them to stick to the shoe. There’s supposed to be! But in a pack of two, one did and one didn’t. Very bizarre.

My 3-star rating is NOT based on the construction of these inserts. They happen to be too high for my arches, but that's not a fault -- all feet are little bit different and hard to know by ordering online exactly how they will fit your feet. Just thought folks ought to know if you're considering purchasing these: the arch curve is really high, so unless you have very high arches they will possibly be uncomfortable. I rated this 3-stars only for a couple of more visual reasons. The amazon site pictured them as a deeper tan (caramel) color but when I clicked on them, they turned out to be this very light color that didn't match the sandals I was ordering them for. I decided to order them anyway in hopes they wouldn't show that much. The other problem though is that the underneath part -- the part that actually does show when you're wearing sandals -- is stark white. So they don't blend at all into the sandals appearance-wise. Just look like what it is -- an insert -- instead of something that kind of blends in with your sandals but gives you extra support. Would make more sense if the underside was a color more similar to a tan or beige leather so they wouldn't be so obvious. I think the description should be clearer on both counts so you know what you're ordering. If you're searching for an insert that will kind of disappear in your sandals, these are not that product. You may find they make your sandals more comfortable, but they will be pretty visible.

They were very small and didn’t have a good way of attaching to the shoes. They would come loose and I couldn’t use them. Don’t waste your money.

me dio mucho soporte al caminar y descanso

These are a lifesaver and they're super firm which provides actual arch support. Soft or squishy insoles and inserts may feel nice but don't actually solve support issues. These were very easy to stick and use.

When ordering my arch supports I wasn't able to see what the difference (if any) was between the three-pack version and the one sold as a single pair. I ordered both types. Once they arrived, I could see that: the single pack was labeled "Balance" and the three-pack ones are labelled "Step". The difference between the two is the height of the wedge. The Step is the higher one , the Balance is considerably lower. For support in flat soled shoes I would re-order the Step, or three-pack. since it has higher support. The Balance (single pack) will bump up shoes with low arch supports. The density seemed the same in both, ie the compress-ability.

Perfect for my 9 year olds flat feet.

When I opened the package, I found that the arch supports were not self adhesive as advertised. I contacted the seller to return for a refund, and was provided with a return label that required me to provide postage. DO NOT PURCHASE FROM THIS SELLER!