Nowadays, going to the supermarket or an orthopedic store to buy insoles seems like a piece of cake! But it hasn't always been this way, and only recently have we had the convenience and accessibility to pamper our feet in the most suitable manner. Here, we will address the interesting evolution of such a useful and popular product: orthopedic insoles.
Orthopedic orthoses or insoles are removable or fixed medical devices that are used inside the shoe or in contact with the foot to correct postural issues in the feet and alleviate possible pain.
It is evident that in prehistoric times, humans walked essentially barefoot, and only with the appearance of shoes did the need arise to add complementary elements.
Therefore, the history of insoles is intrinsically related to that of shoes.
According to the Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language, the word "zapato" (shoe) would be an onomatopoeia of the noise "tsap" when stepping on the ground, hence the name "zapato." What is certain is that the word's origin is unclear, and others associate it with the Turkish word “zabata,” referring to tanned bovine leather used for footwear.
However, various texts mention cave murals as evidence of shoe usage about 15,000 years ago. These theories are highly debatable, as the images are inconclusive, and at the time, there wasn't enough knowledge to create such objects. They would only show the use of external, handmade garments. The only indirect clue is a footprint on soft ground, found in the Fontanet cave from the Upper Paleolithic, which has been interpreted as made by a foot covered by some form of sandal. But this clue remains just a mere and simple indication.
The first rudimentary attempts at insoles ...
The first documented sandals were discovered in the Arnold Cave in Missouri (USA), and they were made from thistle plant fibers about 7,500 years ago.
On the other hand, the first possible attempt to create an additional protective or comfort element, a rudimentary insole-like item, is documented with the famous discovery of Vaytoz Dzor. Found in 2008 between Armenia, Turkey, and Iraq, the first leather shoes made from bovine leather date back to 5,500 years ago. These shoes featured internal plant material, and it's unclear whether it was an attempt to create cushioning similar to insoles or to maintain the shape of the shoe. A similar discovery occurred with the world's oldest mummy, Ötzi, found in the Italian Alps, dated to 3,500 years ago, with remains of shoes in conditions similar to those in the Caucasian region.
Subsequently, the material used for shoe cushioning gradually improved, with wool being used about 2,000 years ago to alleviate foot tension and fatigue.
Since the Neolithic period and throughout the Bronze Age, rudimentary padding elements served the sole purpose of increasing comfort and relieving fatigue. It is always important to remember that humans, at this stage, mostly walked barefoot, and shoes were an accessory limited to the noble and wealthy classes.
In the region of Egypt, only the Pharaoh and dignitaries were allowed to wear shoes. The sandals used were made of braided straw or palm leaf sheets and were only worn by men for ceremonial purposes, either to highlight the Pharaoh's figure or to celebrate victory over enemies, as defeated enemies were incorporated into the sandals.
It was during the Mesopotamian period that sandals became widespread, and in ancient Greece, shoes began to be used by priests, warriors, and nobles. Slaves were not allowed to wear shoes, and thus, shoes had a strong social class differentiation value.
During the Greek and Roman periods, awareness of postural and balance problems of the musculoskeletal system began to emerge. It is credited to Aristotle (384-322 BC), Greek scientist and philosopher, the first scientific analysis of walking and the first geometric analysis of muscular actions on bones. Later, Galen (129-201 AD), Roman physician and surgeon, first explained the difference between motor and sensory nerves and agonist and antagonist muscles.
In Rome, footwear was an obvious symbol of social class: consuls could wear white shoes, while senators wore brown shoes, and legionaries wore boots.
It was during the Middle Ages that the most important change occurred for the next invention of insoles. Shoes began to become more common, partially leaving behind their social class symbolism, and the aesthetic function of shoes started to emerge. High-heeled shoes, pointed boots, elevated babouches, and various other models were born.
Aesthetics became so important that the Catholic Church began to disapprove of extreme fashion, while at the same time, it authorized the use of chopines. Their discomfort made walking difficult, thus reducing sinful thoughts like dancing.
And so, as easily imagined, before orthopedic insoles were invented, corrective or orthopedic shoes were created...
Before insoles, the focus on improving posture was concentrated in the shoes, which were modified to reverse possible pathologies. With this same logic, in the mid-1700s, Nicholas Andry (1658-1742), a French physician and the creator of the word "orthopedics," expressed: “If the feet lean too much to one side, give the child shoes that are higher on that side, which will make them lean towards the opposite side.” Following this trend, Petrus Camper (1722-1789), a Dutch physician and pediatrician, published the famous book "On the Best Form of Footwear" in 1781, which became so popular it was reprinted in 14 editions, focusing especially on placing arch support orthotics for children with flat feet.
In the 1920s and 1930s, corrective shoes became so popular that thousands of models and brands could be counted. The inappropriate use of their supposed functional benefits led the Federal Trade Commission in the United States to partially ban their commercialization, thus beginning their decline.
Taking a small pause in this wonderful history of insoles, I think it is useful to make a small summary. From prehistory, humans went from walking barefoot to creating sandals, trying to make them more comfortable with plants or wool, and turning shoes into a fashion phenomenon, eventually leading to postural pathologies and attempting to correct them with corrective shoes. And now we can finally ask ourselves: when was the first modern insole made?
There are disputes over who holds the honor of creating or marketing the first insoles. One fact is almost undeniable and certain: the first insoles were made of leather.
In Europe, some attribute the first leather orthosis to 1845 by Lewis Durlacher (1792-1864), a British royal podiatrist appointed by Queen Victoria. This leather orthosis for the feet served to correct plantar pressure injuries and foot imbalances. Following the use of leather, these support insoles were popularized by Hugh Owen Thomas (1834-1891), a British orthopedic surgeon, who in 1874 suggested that with "a few pennies of leather" shoes could be raised and wedged to treat foot problems.
In contrast, in the United States, others attribute the first arch support to Dr. Everett H. Dunbar, from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in 1865. Similar to what doctors did in Europe, this insole relieved arch pain by inserting leather pieces under the sole of the shoe.
Over time, these insoles improved and expanded in utility. Newton M. Shaffer (1846-1928), an orthopedist from New York, designed a high medial arch orthosis with a heel cup known as the ‘Shaffer Plate’.
Royal Whitman (1857-1946) is credited with developing the first modern custom insole in 1905, known as the Whitman insole. It consisted of a plaster cast taken with the foot in a supine position, with the aim of raising the medial arch to make the foot less pronated.
The current literature partially refutes Whitman’s conclusions, but his contribution to the history of orthotics remains undeniable.
In contrast, the first generic rigid insole is attributed to Percy W. Roberts (1867-1937), an American orthopedic surgeon, who developed a metal foot orthosis in 1912. This orthosis had a deep inverted heel cup aimed at tilting the foot into an inverted position.
In the following 1920s decade, German podiatrist Otto F. Schuster (1881-1936), upon emigrating to New York, combined Roberts' support ideas with Whitman's support to create the Roberts-Whitman support. This device had a wider profile, providing better pronation control and a more comfortable medial arch.
As with most inventions or discoveries, there are concurrent versions between the old continent and the United States regarding mass-produced insoles. While in Europe, the German Konrad Birkenstock is credited with developing a cork and latex insole called Fussbett, in the USA, the year 1906 is often mentioned as the time when Dr. William Scholl (from the current eponymous company) created a lightweight and flexible insole called Foot-eazer. It remains unclear whether Dr. William Scholl was inspired by the German colleague when creating and incorporating his company with his brother Frank in 1910.
It is quite clear that insoles, as we know them commercially today, were born between the late 1800s and early 1900s. While the first insoles were equally inflexible and ergonomic, the real change in innovation occurred in the 1940s.
This was because it wasn't until 1938 when James Franklin Hyde invented silicones. As a result, Dow Corning was established in 1943 and later acquired by the competitor DuPont to benefit from this invention that opened the doors to a wide range of resins and elastomers. This is why, during the following decade, silicone insoles and their multiple accessories such as toe protectors, separators, toe caps, etc., were finally produced.
Thanks to the invention of polymers and elastomers, shoes themselves began to benefit, leading to the birth of the first Adidas in Germany, created by the Dassler brothers, and the competitive Nike in the United States, by Phil Knight... but that's another story and another tale...
Today, the insole market is well-developed with strong and stable competitors such as Dr. Scholl, Future, Muller, and Profoot in the United States, Pura+ in Latin America, Orliman in Spain, Maseur in Australia, and Donguan in China.
Did you enjoy this amazing journey through the history of orthopedic insoles?
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