Chronic foot pain? Orthotics effective or no?

Have you been in orthotics most of your life?

Are your orthotics helping you?

Is your treatment regimen for your feet anything more than: roll on an iced water bottle, stretch calves, never go barefoot, and a static stretch brace to wear at night?

Have you ever been treated at the hip to knee to ankle, then foot when going to any sort of therapy for the feet?

If you've done everything for feet pain despite following all the 'rules', consider that it's coming from above and then affecting how your feet absorb or do not absorb forces from the ground.

Localized intervention to the sole area of discomfort is not effective.  In fact, "never be barefoot again" promotes loss of fat and intrinsic muscle strength of your feet.  Full toe movement, ability to 'grab the ground' with your toes, and allowing your arch to adapt to uneven ground (from barefoot activities like yoga, pilates to wearing 'barefoot shoes' during your workout) is best practice for maximizing function while minimizing potential discomfort. Your body is complex and dynamic with many connecting pieces.  

Good way to strengthen intrinsics of the feet

Best physical therapy practice is to treat the BODY, not just the region you feel discomfort!