Happy Feet Insoles Review

HAPPY FEET INSOLES Review

Editor: Randy Johnson

Basic Description:

Happy Feet are 100% glycerin filled massaging gel shoe inserts. They work by providing a cushion between your foot and the ground to counteract the stress on your feet, knees and back.

Just The Facts:

Happy Feet Insoles have a proprietary manufacturing process that bonds a breathable, lightweight fabric to a high-strength bladder containing viscosity-controlled 100% glycerin to provide comfort and relief by distributing weight evenly, absorbing the impact and pounding that we place upon our feet daily. They are designed to massage with every step. Happy Feet Insoles fit in any boot or shoe, including sandals and are promoted to alleviate the discomfort of the following foot problems:

Corns & Calluses

Heel Pain & Spurs

Poor Circulation

Back & Knee Pain

Metatarsalgia

Morton’s Neuroma

Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Bunions

Fibromyalgia

Plantar Fasciitis

Happy Feet work by providing three distinct actions to deliver maximum comfort for your feet:

• Absorbs Impact & Reduce Fatigue. The insole “floats” the foot on a cool cushion of natural glycerin to absorb shock and fill all the spaces between your foot and shoe giving a custom fit. This action reduces fatigue, relieves foot, ankle knee and back pain.
• Distributes Weight & Reduces Friction
• With every step, dynamic fluid-flow spreads pressure across the entire foot, from heel to arch to ball of the foot. This is especially useful in relief of heel spurs and plantar fasciitis.

Story:

For years I’ve spent an incredible amount of time backpacking“ out on the mountain” in some of the roughest terrain that you would ever wish to encounter. My feet our subjected to incredible punishment and are forced to endure carrying extremely heavy loads that put thousands of pounds of pressure onto the bones of my feet. Having taken countless, millions of steps in the mountains, the continual compression has definitely grown into more pain, discomfort and foot fatigue. Onto this abuse, if you add the hours of training that I put in it’s a wonder that my remarkable “tires” (feet) are still functional. Over this timeframe you can imagine that I’ve experienced numerous blisters, bruises, friction induced heat, corns, calluses, and worst of all for me, some painful Morton’s Neuroma.

To protect my feet and find relief I’ve spent a small fortune on more than one custom orthotic device, various insoles, hiking boots etc. Needless to say, none of them have provided a “magic solution” for my aging, aching, feet. Last year, while attending an Outdoor Expo, I saw a booth selling “Happy Feet,” 100% glycerin filled insoles. I was more than willing to give another “new foot insole” a rigorous test.

Upon getting back home I immediately inserted the Happy Feet into my Kennetrek Hardscrabble hiking boots and started using them. The first hike that I wore the insoles it definitely took me some time to get used to them. I’ve worn many different insoles in the past but none of them felt or wore quite like Happy Feet. My best description for these insoles is that I could actually feel the liquid moving as I walked to cushion that part of my foot where the most impact was. After I was able to get past the different feeling of the liquid moving under my feet, it actually felt comfortable.

I have worn my Happy Feet Insoles on some very long, and tough backpack trips this spring. Since using these insoles I haven’t experienced the “hot flash” of pain on the balls of my feet caused by my Morton’s Neuroma. Do I still have some discomfort at times, “yes.” However, it is much better than when I wasn’t wearing the Happy Feet Insoles. They have definitely made a big difference in how my feet and lower back feel.

At a price of $40 I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase these insoles again. So far they have held up extremely well under some tough field conditions. They are breathable and have done an adequate job of resisting odor and mildew. If I chose to I could easily transfer the insoles to different boots or shoes although I generally leave them in the hikers that I am using.

On another positive note the Happy Feet Insoles are manufactured in the USA and come with a one year warranty with a 30-day money back guarantee. I haven’t tried the warranty out yet!

What They Could Do Better

• I wouldn’t change the insole. For what it was developed for, the Happy Feet have met my expectations and provided me with some well deserved relief.