As Seen On TV products are hit or miss for me. The Salad Spinner was an instant hit, and I bought one for all of my family members. The Bump-It? Not so great. My sister gave it to me as a gag gift for my birthday. I think it lives in the back of one of my very cluttered closets now. Don’t even get me started on Snuggies.

So when I saw Strutz advertised, I was wary, but hopeful.

 

Turns out this is one of the better products, but that’s not to say it’s a perfect invention guaranteed to relieve pain in every individual.

We’ll start out with the positives:

1. It hits the right spot. A lot of people have arch pain, and it’s usually due to a lack of support in their shoes. The majority of fashionable footwear these days has minimal to no arch support, especially in summer. Flip flops, ballet flats, gladiator sandals… Not much to speak of in the sole department. This product will take up room in your shoe in the area where you should have arch support, lifting the midfoot and providing relief from some types of foot pain.

2. It’s on your foot, not in the shoe. I like that this is applied to your foot, because things tend to stay where you need them when applied directly to the area in question. Depending on your shoe and your foot type, some people squish around in their footwear, and applying support to the innersole can mean it doesn’t always hit the right spot on your FOOT. This will stay in your arch, and move with your foot.

To be fair, the negatives:

1. It takes up room in your shoe. If your shoes fit properly to begin with, this may take up enough room that your shoes become too tight, and that can cause a whole host of problems. Additionally, if your shoes already have arch support, this may create too much bulk at that point, and cause you additional pain. If you already wear quality shoes with good arch support or a custom insert but you still have pain, it may be time to see your podiatrist.

2. One size usually fits MOST. Not ALL. It’s misleading when products advertise themselves for every possible foot type, because there are kids out there with tiny feet and arch pain that this would be WAY too big on. There are 6’5″ basketball players with a size 15 wide foot who might struggle to even pull the device on. If that area of padding is too big or too small it can cause problems, or just not help in the first place.

Bottom line: this is a good product to try, but if you know you have an unusual foot type (big, small, narrow) or you already wear custom inserts, the Strutz might not be for you. As always, if you try something over the counter and still have pain, make an appointment with your podiatrist for a more individualized solution.