Why go with custom insoles?
Generally, when u walk or run the movement is called bipedal. A perfect bipedal is:
1) Foot should stride equally with same ‘balanced’ distance
Foot should stride equally with same ‘balanced’ distance between right and left toe, if the hip flex or hamstring is tight on either side then one single stride can be shorter than the other which will force the tighter leg muscle to compensate to keep up (can lead to meniscus wear and tear) if knee is making cracking sounds when u bend - that is your meniscus chipping out. To save it is to equalize the flexibility (stretch) and strengthen (isolation such as leg curl/ext machine) it back on a bigger length. Squat is too compound movement yet for the leg to isolate and then re-learn to stride equally (neuron-muscular re-patterning technique)
2) Arch of the feet
The arch plays its roll as a shock absorption (action) and spring (opposite reaction). When u land your feet from a run (bipedal), the arch will catch the forceful land on the pavement which will lessen the impact on ankle joint,knees,hip til the spine. And the very same time you propel up on the action on stepping up is the arch will extend you to propel upward and forward giving you the extra lift and longer stride coming from the arch alone. So think if a person with a flat arch (pronated) where will the impact goes? It can be on your joints and causing chronic pain that comes and goes. Overly arch also can cause pain in the inner thighs that makes you tighter on the hip opening. Worst is one foot flat and other foot overly arch (overly supinated) that can cause plantar fasciitis and toe bunion or toe claw syndrome. Fix it thru properly (for flat foot) releasing and stretch the front shin (anterior tibia) and strengthen the (posterior tibia) back of the sheen to some how regain arch. Some are so rigid that they need a medical shoe or operation or just simply stop running or forceful foot movements. As for overly arch , must release and stretch the posterior and strengthen the anterior tibia to reduce the arch.
The connection of both 1 and 2 is the weight (over weight/obese) bearing can speed up the wear and tear during forceful activities and makes the heart to over work.
3) Foot aversion and inversion
Toes pointed outward or inward will put pressure on your patella and extending one side of your crucial ligaments on your knee and eventually snap if the pressure is very forceful such as sprint and forward jump momentum. Due to aversion and inversion, change on the axis joint particularly the knee which is not suppose to rotate will have that small rotation within the joint and patella. Any off-axis joint can lead to lots of knee pain and spinal joints is even worse! To fix is to fix 1 and 2. 3 is mostly the complication of 1 & 2 condition. Requires stretch and release of the piriformis muscle as another complication 1&2 condition. Piriformis tightness can punch the underlying Sciatic nerve located within piriformis. If not fixed, complicated chronic pain is outcome.The pain will radiate from lower back all the way down to the toe on the foot that is most likely flat (pronated). .
4) Hip alignment swing
The glutes and hip flexor should contract and release equally using your four wheel drive to add more output. If one hip is lower compare to the other side (if one foot is flat then the very same leg is short and the very same side will tilt down and the opposite will tilt up) this is the time u will get a lot of back pain caused by one-sided tilted upward hips. Remembering that that the spine sits at the center of the hip. If the base hip is not aligned then the spine will find ways to counter balance (scoliosis for the kids will develop and for adult you will have nearly the same condition as scoliosis) This will avoid u on engaging your core (hernia on core muscle or groin or uneven disc alignment or off-axis that pinch the nerves). This will lead to trunk rotation as well as arm swing that can lead lots of chronic pain complication, fibromyalgia, neck pain, impaired vision, and worse biochemical or hormonal issue such as thyroid and elevated cortisol (stress hormones) which change the mood. The list goes on and on by just a simple walk and run.