Walkfit Orthotics Review
I was sitting around on a Sunday morning reading the Seattle Times with the TV on in the background when an infomercial came on for Walkfit Platinum Orthotic Arch Supports. I decided to order a pair and give you my review.
Walkfit Arch Supports
What’s Good About Walkfit?
- These arch supports are almost indestructible and will last for a long time.
- They have a well placed metatarsal pad and can be quite helpful for people with ball of foot pain.
- Walkfit arch supports are fairly priced at about $20. These are essentially the exact same devices sold by Good Feet, Neo Vita and Ideal Feet stores for, literally, hundreds of dollars more. If you are thinking of trying arch supports from these stores, avoid getting ripped off and try the Walkfit instead. In the Walkfit vs. Alzner or Walkfit vs. Good Feet debate, Walkfit wins hands down. Same thing – a LOT less money. The information in the infomercial about how these are the same arch supports at less cost is absolutely true.
What is Not So Good About Walkfit?
- Walkfit arch supports provide limited support of the mid portion of the arch. A number of studies show that to treat plantar fasciitis, heel pain, heel spurs, and big toe joint problems (such as bunions), arch supports should conform tightly to the arch of the foot to provide the best relief for these conditions.  So for those problems, the Walkfit is not be the best choice of prefabricated arch supports. We usually recommend PowerStep ProTech Orthotics for those conditions as they have a higher arch that more effectively decreases force on these structures.
- Although the metatarsal pad on them can help with ball of foot pain there have been many studies showing that a metatarsal pad works best in combination with a higher arched arch support and these really have a pretty low arch. So although they might help with ball of foot pain there are better OTC arch supports on the market at about the same cost.
- They advertise that Walkfit Platinum arch supports will align the spine and help with back, hip and pelvic pain.  This really isn’t supported by any research. Most research indicates it takes much more support than provided by the Walkfit to accomplish this. In fact, to really make a difference you would likely need a custom orthotic.  On the other hand, it may help a few people with mild back problems and they are cheap.
- The infomercial is, well, really stupid. But I guess that is the nature of infomercials.  The test where they push you without the arch support and then push you with the arch support and show how much more stable you are is simply a sales game. The only reason that people feel that they are more stable is because they are aware that someone is going to shove them. They play the same silly games in the Good Feet and Neo Vita stores.
- The advertising makes these seem like the perfect arch support for everyone. The fact is, there is no perfect arch support for everyone. One brand may work better for your feet, another brand will be better for mine.
Overall Recommendations on Walkfit Arch Supports:
- Fairly priced, moderately effective OTC arch support.
- Probably work best for people with ball of foot pain (but still not the best support for those people).
- Not so effective for those with heel pain, big toe joint pain or back pain.
For those conditions we recommend an orthotic with a higher arch that has more potential to reduce abnormal force on those tissues. A good choice is the FootChair Podiatrist Designed Orthotic. FootChair has a more supportive arch and the ability to add pads under the cover to increase the arch height for a very customized fit that offers maximum support.
Pretty Much the Same Shape as Good Feet Arch Supports at Much Less Cost
- Walkfit orthotics (see them here) are a particularly good deal when they are compared to  arch supports from Good Feet or Ideal Feet stores.  Along with purchasing the Walkfit orthotics, we have had many opportunities to evaluate Good Feet arch supports that our patients have brought into our clinic. In our opinion from close evaluation of both Walkfit and Good Feet arch supports these are essentially the same shoe inserts at less than a tenth of the cost. While we feel that neither Walkfit or Good Feet are particularly good OTC orthotics compared to others on the market at least Walkfit are fairly priced. Our opinion is that Good Feet arch supports are obscenely over-priced.
Since they are inexpensive, it probably can’t hurt to try Walkfit although, again, there are better supports at about the same cost.  If they don’t work, see a podiatrist for a professional evaluation. A good podiatrist can help guide you to the best OTC arch support for your foot type or, if you have more severe biomechanical problems, provide you with custom orthotic devices. If you are in the Seattle area, make an appointment to be seen in our foot and ankle clinic.
Podiatrist specializing in biomechanics at Foot & Ankle Center of Washington
Lawrence Z.Huppin, DPM is an internationally recognized lecturer and teacher on orthotic therapy and biomechanics.In his Seattle private practice his focus in on treatment of mechanical problems such as heel pain, bunions, ball of foot pain, athletic injuries and children’s foot conditions.In addition he specializes in toenail problems including ingrown and fungal toenail conditions. He is always focused on helping patients avoid surgery if at all possible and keeping your medical costs as low as possible.
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We received the response below to our blog on Walkfit arch supports. In that blog we note that while we do not think Walkfit are a particularly great arch support, it is our opinion that they are pretty much the same device as the Goodfeet arch supports at much less cost. GoodFeet’s media buyer responded with the information below. Her comments are in non-bold type. My response is in bold.
Your approach towards arch supports and foot ailments appears to be guided by price alone. If a Podiatrist was concerned about a patient’s overall well being, they wouldn’t recommend a product based on price. The patient/customer should be getting a product that will have longevity, treat a foot ailment, and have custom fit. If a podiatrist is concerned about a patient’s well-being, then of course they should be concerned about the price a patient pays for a product. In this situation we recommended a less expensive non-custom arch support for a more expensive non-custom arch support that, upon our examination, is nearly identical in shape and construction. In addition, the term “custom-fit” is in our opinion nothing more than a sales term designed to confuse the public. “Custom fit” is not “custom-made”. Custom-fit simply means that a product is fit to a patients specific size. Walkfit, Goodfeet and every other OTC arch support are custom-fit. Your shoes are custom fit. Anything you buy by size is custom-fit. As I said, custom-fit is in our opinion a term used by sellers of over-priced OTC arch supports in order to deceive customers into thinking they are custom-made.
Walkfit does not custom size a customer according to their arch and foot size. They base the entire sizing up to the foot size. Not every person who has a size 10M will have the same arch size. According to your article, “The fact is, there is no perfect arch support for everyone,” TRUE.
Good Feet’s arch supports are fitted the customer’s arch size and foot size. They are also fitted according to strength and lifestyle activities. You are comparing an apple to an orange. Not really. I’m comparing a Granny Smith apple to a Fuji apple. Both Walkfit and Goodfeet in my opinion are OTC arch supports of overall poor design that depend primarily on a large metatarsal support and minimal arch support. Since most studies on the treatment of the most common foot pathologies demonstrate that it is arch support that provides the most effective reduction of tissue stress and subsequent pain relief, I would never recommend Walkfit or GoodFeet. Instead I would recommend brands that we feel are more likely to decrease abnormal tissue stress such as SuperFeet, PowerStep, FootStride and others. These brands are all comparable in price to Walkfit and much less expensive than GoodFeet which we feel are obscenely over-priced.
Walkfit and Good Feet are both orthotic brands, but they are not the same. They are not made up of the same materials, don’t have the same design, and do not provide the same service. Of course they are not exactly the same. But if a person were determined to get one of these (although there are many brands of OTC supports that we feel are better than both) then we would recommend choosing the least expensive – which is Walkfit by a mile.
If a Podiatrist was to write a professional opinion on arch supports, then they would factor in all of the components of the product. They wouldn’t determine their professional opinion on the price alone and then guesstimate on the rest. I would agree. But that is not what we did. We compared two OTC arch supports that we feel are both fairly moderate in effectiveness and suggested that if a person were determined to get one they should at least get the one that was priced less. But we would also recommend that they look at other brands that are likely to be more effective at less cost.
Good Feet’s products stand behind a warranty and licensed and patented design that cannot be duplicated (i.e. Walkfit cannot legally have the same design and mold). Of course not. That would give the patent lawyers far too much to do. But from our evaluation they are very similar devices. I hope your readers are not duped into believing Walkfit is the solution to their foot pain. If they have, then they will relate to everything that was just said in this comment. The writer did not identify herself as such, but Amber Shivley is listed as the media buyer for Goodfeet.
To respond to your first observation, yes, I am a media buyer and Good Feet is one of my clients. I did, in fact, make a note in my name in the previous comment; however, you don’t have a occupational option listed in your comment box. To assume that I wrote my response because I want a positive light shed on Good Feet is correct. I understand their product, I wear their product, and I’ve seen the affects their products have on millions of customers. I would be one out of a small group that understands, in detail, the advantages and disadvantages to Good Feet and other OTC arch supports. Your responses to my previous comment went against your entire argument in your article. Your review on Walkfit and the observations you make in your response to my comment condescend one another. You state that you would recommend Walkfit in your article, then respond saying you would neither recommend Walkfit nor Good Feet. You state you would rather recommend SuperFeet, PowerStep, FootStride, and others. I’m not quite sure what point you are trying to make.
“We compared two OTC arch supports that we feel are both fairly moderate in effectiveness and suggested that if a person were determined to get one they should at least get the one that was priced less.” So, which arch support by Good Feet did you compare to Walkfit? They have over 27 different arch supports. Could you identify what exact arch support by Good Feet you chose to compare to Walkfit? Also, could you identify what pricing structure you are using to compare Good Feet to other brands? There are several different ways to pricing them and each style is a different price. It seems to me that you are still comparing an apple to an orange.
I also know that Walkfit’s arch supports are composed of doll grade plastic and they are made in China. Did you know that? Well, it’s unfortunate to hear that you are not in support of Good Feet. They carry various types of products, such as the Cluffy Wedge, that many Podiatrists favor. In fact, most of the customers who come to the store were recommended by a Podiatrist.
Again, I think that Good Feet probably manufactures fairly well made arch supports. But we think they are horrendously overpriced and poorly designed. In our opinion, brands such as Superfeet, PowerStep and FootStride provide much better support and are better designed for treating a majority of the most common foot problems at a fraction of the price. Our recommendation to our clients is to avoid purchasing Good Feet. If they already have them and are working well for them, however, they can continue to wear them.
Your information about GoodFeet is based on sales information. We base our recommendations on medical literature. Given that, we would never recommend Good Feet to our patients.
I think your response is so defensive it makes me wonder why! When a company get’s this defensive over a person’s opinion which everyone has one and is allowed it does make me wonder what they are hiding in plain sight. He is a podiatrist which I would listen his opinion before I would yours bc it holds a bit more weight. He is not the only one that states this has written this about your product. Whether $20 or $400 in this economy nobody needs to be spending money for things that DoNot work. And there are too many people online saying that when they try to return them they cannot get in touch with your company at the 1-800 # provided which is a big problem in itself.
Love this discussion!! Glad to see a colleague giving a good fair discussion of OTC devices!!
this is refreshing to see a medical professional giving us the honest truth as they truly see it. thank you.
GoodFeet is horrendously overpriced, or so it would seem, but they do work fabulously. I struggled with plantar fasciitis for years. I had intense pain in my right heel which was only partially ameliorated by OTC arch supports at Walgreens. A friend recommended GoodFeet and the heel pain was 50% improved within 24 hours and completely gone in 72 hours and hasn’t returned. The arch and ball pain which was making it painful to walk is about 66% gone and some days even slightly more.
I do have a problem with GoodFeet’s pricing practices in that my local store did not have price tags on anything and price is a mystery until you go to the cash register to get sticker shock. In fairness, I could have asked but was only expecting to pay around $400.00 since that’s what why friend believes he paid (it was 7-8 years ago so he’s not 100% sure) while I paid $700. I feel that’s deceptive and wish Amber could clarify these questionable practices.
Also, I asked up front if there’s a 30 day money back guarantee and the store clerk/owner told me no refunds. Period. So if they don’t work you are really screwed, but in my case I’m lucky because they have worked beyond expectations.
I agree that the arch supports you find in drugstores are not very supportive. But there are many extremely well made arch supports that in our opinion give most of our patients much better support than do the Good Feet supports. Not only do we find these to be superior support, but they are all available for under $50. You won’t find them in pharmacies, but you can find them in shoe stores or online. You can find our list of our favorite OTC orthotics here:
https://www.footankle.com/orthotics/off-the-shelf/
Just went to GoodFeet and purchased their 3:1 program which is 3 orthotics which cost me over $1300. they have a graduated program that they feel is better compensated by the patient.
Wow – that’s wildly expensive for some prefabricated orthotics. Our opinion is that you can get better prefabricated orthotics at about 10% of that price. Here are our recommended prefab orthotics for various foot types and shoe types: https://www.footankle.com/orthotics/off-the-shelf/