Badminton can be very demanding on the body and I've had problems with my knees and (especially) my heels. My heels hurt so bad there was pain just touching them. I tried numerous insoles, different shoes, heel protectors, you name it, but to no avail. None of them minimized nor alleviated the pain. Then I went to REI and saw the SuperFeet Performance Green (PG) insole and there was a 60-Day Money Back Guarantee so I figured I'd give it a try. After almost two months of wearing the SuperFeet PG insoles, I can say for certain, my heel and knee pain have been minimized. The insole is incredible. I cannot believe the difference. I feel if this progress continues, my heel pain will be completely gone in another 2-3 months. My knee pain is from way back in the day and I don't think it'll ever go away but with the SuperFeet insole, it's been minimized. So if you have leg/feet pain, I highly recommend the SuperFeet insoles. An FAQ: http://www.superfeet.com/content/facts.html Specs on the Performance Green: http://www.superfeet.com/content/green.html#.html Retail, the insoles are $40 US, I know, pricey but they can be purchased at Holabird Sports for $25: http://www.holabirdsports.com/cgi-bin/product?product=080118&group=null&selection=menu&id=null&manufact=null&& Hope this helps. P.S. I wear the SuperFeet PGs with my Yonex SHB-99s.
I like 'em too. Discussed here although I believe Kwun tried 'em and didn't feel any added benefit. -dave
S4, do you find the insoles slips around inside the shoes when you do lunges and things as Kwun said?
No Sir, I cut the insole to the size of my existing insole. SuperFeet tells you to take out your existing insole and trace it and cut out. The SuperFeet insole fits perfectly inside my SHB-99 and never moves around.
Wow, I will definitely give it a try. I have very bad knee problems, which could go even worse in winter time, due to lack of heating in various gyms. Just want to know, should I take the Yonex insole out, and just use this one, or, i can simplay place this one right on top of the original yonex insole. Or, maybe it depends on the thickness of the insoles and the shoe size?
Only use the SuperFeet Insole, remove the Yonex insole. Other things to help alleviate knee pain, I wear knee bands. I tried just about all of them and they are all about the same in effectiveness so I just go with inexpensive ones: McDavid or Mueller. Knee bands are considered Level I protection for your knees. For more severe knee pain, you'd need to go Level II or Level III. I've tried Level II and Level III protection and I would just skip Level II and go to Level III, the difference in performance between Level I and Level II is minor but the difference between Level II and Level III is significant but also more expensive. If you need Level IV protection, the highest available, it's all hinged stuff with advanced plastics. This stuff is very expensive and will completely inhibit your movement on the Badminton Court. Finally, a stretching device I just picked-up called the Step Stretch is fantastic. So in conjunction with the SuperFeet, Knee Straps and Step Stretch before and after, I have truly minimized my leg pain. It was money well spent. Level I Protection: Level III Protection: http://www.kneeshop.com/geniips-1.htm Step Stretch: http://www.footsmart.com/Product.aspx?ProductId=84
Thanks Madman, I'll give it a try too; I have similar problems where my heel(especially the left one); just hurts really badly after the session & it's worse the next morinig when I try to walk, I can barely put my heel down!!!!!
Thnx! Is that because the 2 layers of insoles will make it too thick? Personally, I like the yonex insole's performance, but the durability is a no-no. Wonder if I keep the original insole, whether I can get "double protection"?
I have Level III protection but no longer use it due to strengthening exercises. It is in your long-term interest not to rely on knee straps. Go to the gym and strenghten your quads. For replacement in soles, I use www.yoursole.com It is very expensive but worth every penny. Get the Black color model. Your Sole lasts about six months if you play three times a week.
No, that will be detrimental I think. The SuperFeet insole is specific. I believe the instructions will explain it.
Thanks for the advice but it's not my quads, my knees degenerated way back because of extreme pounding from running and jump on the pavement as well as playing tennis.
the only way you'd be able to use the superfeet in conjunction with oem insoles is if the insole is non-removable, and flat. in which case you might use the superfeet blue insoles, which are thinner, designed more for lower-volume footwear, such as soccer shoes. you'll immediately notice the superfeet's arch support is much further back than the yonex ones. so it would definitely not work with the yonex insoles. the feeling at the beginning with the superfeet will be very wierd and sometimes even uncomfortable and painful to begin with. but after your feet get adjusted to being supported properly, they will feel like a million bucks. doesn't the shb99 already have plastic superfeet-like part on the insole?
I use the Spenco trainer insoles, myself. My problem is that I wear a hole into the ball of the right insole after a few months =(
You probably have plantar fasciitis. I have that too from time to time. At first I tried taping it every time I played as illustrated in this URL http://www.nismat.org/traincor/pl_fasciitis.html worked really well but it took too much time and too much money so I purchased the Arch Pro-Tech Support http://www.footsmart.com/Product.aspx?ProductId=70 You just strap it on and it works fine for me. Although I use it in conjunction with an arch support insole. The insole alone didn't alleviate the pain too much. The Pro-Tech did pretty well on its own but I found the best results using the Pro-Tech with an insole.
I also go to one of those Xiamen style foot spa's here in Manila from time to time. They really know how to knead away the pain in the heel. It hurts like hell when they do it but its the good kind of pain--in Filipino they call it "masakit na masarap" --rough translation "pain that feels good"
Well explained! I think i will purchase a pair soon, and remove the Yonex insole from SHB99 to compare. Yes, the SHB99 has the plastic superfeet-like part fot the insole. I like the support, but again, the durability for yonex insole is kinda too short - 3+ months.
I think this depends on the person. I put the SuperFeet Greens in and immediately adjusted, didn't hurt at all; in fact it felt very comfortable. It felt like I was standing straighter. It's good stuff. I have two more pairs coming tomorrow.
definitely depends on the individual, as you said. i just mentioned it, since some people might get a pair and give it a go, realizing they hurt after an hour or so, and giving up on them. the blue pair i use felt fine to me after about 15 minutes of standing and walking around at home, but a friend of mines complained of stiff feet for the first couple days, but now feels fine. i'm probably getting a pair of the greens later this week for a different pair of shoes.
