Arch support

Arch Support: An appliance shaped in a manner to provide underside support to the feet. Proper design can eliminate foot or heel pain, or can eliminate pain elsewhere in the body.

Example of a foot support arch

The Alzner (Effect) Theory: George Alzner, in the late 1940s  determined that a way to fix the abormalities that developed with the foot is to restore it to its natural position. He thus designed an arch support with a profile that was designed to re-position the bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons of the foot to their proper place.  The theory being that if the foot over time changes in a detrimental way by wearing shoes with minimal or no arch support, the bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons could be trained to their natural position with an arch support of an appropriate profile.

This theory is not widely accepted as fact by podiatrists. However, this theory is used as a design basis for a variety of foot supports that are manufactured today.