Foot orthotics are widely used to treat a wide range of foot conditions. The scientific evidence is that they are generally beneficial and they also help most of the time to help individuals with a range of different foot conditions. Even with that success there are many people and health professionals who do not recommend them, occasionally calling them crutches and to be stopped as people could become dependant on them. For this reason they advocate against them and advocate alternatives. There are various of choices which can be looked at if an informed decision is made by each person in regards to what is the best for them. One alternative is muscle strengthening. The muscles which support the arch of the foot might be strengthened and reconditioned to support the arch. The only issue with this approach would it be is not something that is going to occur in the short term and it is more of a long term option. This is often a concern if there is a lot of pain present and a short term treatment is needed.

Another option is to use flip flops which have the arch support built into the design. You can find numerous brands available on the market with the Archies Arch Support Thongs being among the most well known. These are referred to as “thongs” because that's what they name flip flops in Australia that is where they are made. You can find many jokes about this vocabulary difference. The Archie thongs contains a 2.2 centimetre arch constructed into them which is very similar to what you get in most pre-made foot supports. They are proving to be extremely popular with podiatrists in Australia with many podiatry centers offering them. This is an alternative which is in step with those that choose to use that type of footwear as a lifestyle option as foot orthotics can minimize the range of footwear which they can use.