I started training for my 3rd marathon in Aug 2017. I was in the best shape of my life: strong with only 18% body fat and was running faster than ever! I was determined to break 4 hours in this marathon. Then during a training run in early September, I hurt my foot somehow...
-Cynthia Phillips
I had my doubts but they really work and work well. I had ball of foot pain on one foot after wearing worn out running shoes. I first tried new running shoes with better cushioning and got some improvement but not much.
-Robert Olsen
35 years of motocross, rodeo, being an Ironworker, and coaching baseball has left me a little banged up... Last year in August I could barely walk... my knees hurt from the abuse and after 6 knee surgeries, I started compensating for the stiffness and that caused more back problems...
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As you wear your insoles, your body will move toward better overall alignment. One way to help your body reach and then maintain this new state of alignment is to add stretches onto your routine. Here are some of our favorites.
Sit up tall with the soles of your feet pressed together and your knees dropped to the sides as far as they will comfortably go.
2
Pull your abdominals gently inward, inhale lift out of your hips and gently lean forward. Grasp your ankles or outside edges of feet with your hands, carefully pulling yourself forward until you feel a slight stretch.
3
You should feel the stretch throughout your inner thighs, the utmost part of your hips, and your lower back.
2
Side-lying Quadriceps
Side-lying Quadriceps
1
Lie on the right side of your body on the floor.
2
Bend the left knee and reach the left hand to the left foot, gently bring the left heel toward the buttocks.
3
Only pull until you feel a gentle stretch in the front of the thigh.
4
Hold for 5 to 10 normal, controlled breaths. Gently release and repeat on the other side.
3
Lower-back Twist
Lower-back Twist
1
Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and soles of the feel flat on the floor. Extend your arms out to the side in a 'T' position.
2
Keep your shoulders and hips on the ground as you gently roll both knees to one side.
3
Stay here for 20 to 30 slow, calm breaths, then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. If the stretch is too much for you, place a pillow or stack of towels under your knees when you twist each side.
Why stretching + Protalus ® is the ultimate wellness combo.
Stretching supports muscle flexibility and helps maintain joint health. Along with Protalus ® insoles, stretching helps promote proper body alignment to ease pain and maintain wellness.
Why stretching + Protalus ® is the ultimate wellness combo.
Stretching supports muscle flexibility and helps maintain joint health. Along with Protalus ® insoles, stretching helps promote proper body alignment to ease pain and maintain wellness.
A quick and simple way to make finding the right insole for your shoe a breeze!
Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and soles of the feet flat on the floor.
2
Keeping your shoulders and hips on the ground, lift your right knee towards your chest so your leg is at about a 90° angle to the ground, hold this with both hands (see photo).
3
Bring your left leg up and rest the left ankle on the front of the quad muscle, just above the right knee.
4
Hold this position comfortably for 20 to 30 slow, calm breaths and you can slowly pull your right leg toward your chest. Switch legs and repeat.
5
Piriformis
Piriformis
1
Begin by lying on your back, hands by your side, and legs flat on the floor.
2
Keeping your shoulders and hips on the ground, lift your leg to allow the left foot to bend gently towards your right hand.
3
Take the right foot and place it over the left knee.
4
Hold at a comfortable angle for 20 to 30 calm breaths, return to a resting position, and repeat with the other side.
6
Hamstring
Hamstring
1
Sit on the floor with your feet stretched directly out in front of you.
2
Bend the left knee, bringing the left heel towards the right inner thigh.
3
Using a band around the right forefoot, gently lean inward and pull the band level towards the hips. (In the absence of a stretch band, you may lean inwards and reach your hands towards the toes).
4
Hold at a comfortable angle for 5 to 10 slow, calm breaths, return to a resting position, and repeat with the other side.
7
Seated Calf
Seated Calf
1
Sit on the floor with your feet stretched directly out in front of you.
2
Bring the left heel towards the buttocks, having your knee in an upright position.
3
Using a band around the right forefoot, gently lean inward and pull the band level towards the hips. (In the absence of a stretch band, you may lean inwards and reach your hands towards the toes).
4
Hold for 5 to 10 slow, calm breaths. Gently release slowly and repeat on the other side.
8
Toe Stretches
Toe Stretches
1
While seated in a chair, grasp the heel of the foot with one hand while using your other hand to bend the toes upward enough to feel a nice stretch in the bottom of the foot and toes; hold for 10 to 15 calm breaths.
2
Next, bend the toes into the opposite downward position; feeling for a comfortable stretch on the top of the foot. Hold this position for 15 to 20 calm breaths as well.
3
Practice these two positions back and forth.
9
Ball Stretch
Ball Stretch
1
With bare feet or in thin socks, place a tennis ball or lacrosse ball underneath your foot starting at the center. Use a wall or table to brace yourself securely.
2
Slowly roll the ball between the arch, the heel, and the forefoot applying a generous amount of weight onto the ball.
3
Repeat on the other foot.
4
(This stretch can help loosen up your plantar fascia, making it much less likely to become irritated. Put enough pressure on the ball to get a deep massage. You may feel some soreness but keep working that area slowly until it gets better. Back off if you feel any significant pain.)
10
Single Leg Calf
Single Leg Calf
1
Place both hands against a flat wall with the elbows bent.
2
Place your right foot flat on the ground bringing your left forefoot upward against the wall surface; toes pointed towards the ceiling.
3
You should feel a stretching sensation between the back of the ankle and knee where the calf muscle is located.
4
Hold this position for 10 to 15 breaths.
5
For a deeper stretch, lean your entire body inward towards the wall. Repeat this process for the opposite leg.
11
Achilles
Achilles
1
Stand at arm's length from a sturdy wall placing both hands flat against it.
2
Step back with your left leg, keeping it slightly bent; press your heel into the floor.
3
Press your hips forward, bending the opposite leg slightly. You will feel the stretch in your calf and left Achilles tendon at the bottom of the leg.
We are so confident that you will love your insoles that we offer a full 90 day Love Them Or Your Money Back Guarantee. At any time during the first 90 days if you don’t love your new insoles, contact our Customer Service team for answers and solutions. If we cannot offer you a solution, we will accept the insoles back for a *full refund. Contact us directly for a return shipping label.
*Original shipping charges will not be refunded unless the return is a result of our error.
Try a pair Risk Free with our Money‑Back Guarantee
Free Exchanges
Does the size not fit you? No problem - we will happily exchange them. For up to 90 days after your initial purchase we exchange our product for a different size.
Free Returns
No matter how much you have used our insoles we will refund your full money at any time within 90 days from your purchase with no restocking fee.
90-day Money-Back Guarantee not applicable to Subscription orders.
The difference lies in our patented TRI-Planar technology. Other insole companies place a stump under the arch and call it support. Our insoles focus on the cause of the problem rather than the symptoms, designed to help your body maintain a neutral ankle joint position, while still allowing full ranges of healthy movement. Proper joint alignment improves movement efficiency, reduces fatigue, and prevents injury to help you do what you love.
The bones of the ankle and heel are most stable when they are positioned in alignment. If they shift away from a center alignment, they become less stable.
Imagine pressure being placed on those unstable structures over and over again while you walk, run, or work.
That is where the injuries can take place.
Injuries can present as chronic pain in the foot, knees, hips, and back. They may also include acute injuries such as an ankle sprain.
Keeping your hindfoot in alignment allows not only your bones but also the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments to properly handle the pressure placed on them from your feet through your back.
As you walk and move, your kinetic energy moves from your feet up through your body.
This energy can be seen when walking in sand. Sand kicks up behind you with each step. It is moved by the energy created when you move your foot.
Fatigued muscles don't pass as much of that energy onto the next structure. That is why walking in sand is tiring; energy is being lost and your muscles become fatigued.
An aligned kinetic chain allows the highest quantity of energy to be transferred up through your body, giving you more power and helping you feel less tired.
The body is designed to distribute pressure so that your muscles can primarily be concerned with movement.
When the skeletal system becomes misaligned, especially at the joint between the heel and ankle, pressure is no longer distributed across the structures that are most able to deal with it.
Instead, other structures, such as the ligaments in the knees, hips, and ankles, must take on the job and that can lead them to become fatigued, sore, or injured.
Protalus insoles correct the misalignment so you can avoid fatique and injury.
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Effective for purchases made after 7/1/2023: If your insoles fail due to imperfections in the materials that go into the insoles or failure of those materials to perform due to compression or lack of fidelity to the original shape prior to 1 year from your purchase date, Protalus will replace the insoles for free. In the event that your insoles are no longer available due to a discontinuance of that model, Protalus will replace the insoles with a similar pair of equal value. Please note that all claims require proof of purchase and the original insoles to be shipped back to Protalus in Tualatin, Oregon and all claims must be approved by the Protalus customer service team prior to honoring this guarantee. customerservice@protalus.com. Limit one replacement per original purchase.
“I love them. Before discovering these Protalus inserts I’d experience severe knee pain. With wearing Protalus inserts in every pair of shoes I own I no longer have any knee pain. I don’t wear shoes without them.” -Donald E.L.
