Which heel lift or heel cushion is right for you? This post discussed the relative hardness of heel lifts and heel cushions.
Which heel pad is right for me?
Relative firmness of heel cushions and heel lifts
We had a customer contact us this week to ask about the relative hardness of each of our heel lifts and heel cushions. I thought I'd convey the conversation to you through a blog post.
What is the difference between a heel lift and a heel cushion? Heel lifts are intentionally firm and are used to raise the heel. Heel lifts are not intended to compress and are used to raise the heel. Raising the heel is indicated in:
- Achilles tendinitis
- Achilles tendon rupture - partial
- Haglund's deformity
- Leg length discrepancies
- Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction
- Posterior shin splints
- Plantar fasciitis
Heel cushions, on the other hand, are intended to compress. Heel cushions are used to treat;
- Chronic heel pain
- Loss of plantar fat pad (fat pad atrophy)
Let me list the different heel lifts and heel cushions that we sell in order of hardness. The harder lift or cushion will be first with the softest heel lift or cushion last.
Heel lifts
- Medi-Heel Lift (hardest)
- Heel Lift for Plantar Fasciitis - Cork
- Adjust-a-heel-lift
- Gel Heel Spur Pad
- Heel Lift for Plantar Fasciitis - Felt
- FELTastic® Flat Heel Pads
- Heel lifts for Plantar Fasciitis - Foam
- Reusable Gel Heel Cushions
Heel Cushions
- Heel Lifts For Plantar Fasciitis - Felt (hardest)
- Gel Heel Spur Pads
- Heel Cushions - PPT
- Heel Wedges PPT
- Heel Cups PQ Gel
- Heel Lifts for Plantar Fasciitis - Foam
- Reusable Gel Heel Cushions
Why are some lifts in the cushion section and some cushions in the lift section? Some of our lifts and cushions cross over. Either a lift has to be soft enough to be considered a cushion and a cushion firm enough to be a lift.
Thalia Oster, JD
Founder and COE (Chief of Everything)
Updated 3/23/2021
Heel Lifts For Plantar Fasciitis - Cork
Medi-Heel Lift
Peel-Away™ Adjustable Heel Lift
Heel Lifts for Plantar Fasciitis - Foam
The choice of which heel lift or heel cushion to use is all dependent upon what you're trying to treat. That's why we rely so much on <a href="/articles/">Medically Guided Shopping™</a> to help find the right diagnosis and the right product for each condition.<br>
About the only time I'm going to recommend a heel cushion is in cases of atrophy of the fat pad of the heel. Something like our <a href="/gel-heel-cushions">Gel Heel Cushions</a> are going to be a good choice.<br>
But if the heel pain is due to <a href="/plantar-fasciitis#Tab3">plantar fasciitis</a> or <a href="/achilles-tendonitis#Tab3">Achilles tendinitis</a>, then you're not going to find a cure with a cushion. That's where you need a heel lift. Using a lift is intended to weaken the force of the calf and the Achilles tendon.<br>
My go to has always been our <a href="/heel-lifts-for-plantar-fasciitis-cork">Cork Heel Lifts</a> since they're light weight, inexpensive and can be trimmed to fit the shoe.<br>
Hope this helps.<br>
<a href="/jeffrey_a_oster_dpm_cv">Jeffrey A. Oster, DPM</a><br>
Medical Director<br>
Myfootshop.com