Sponsored Post: Thank you to the team at Heel That Pain for collaborating with me on this post. All opinions are my own. For more site policies and disclosures, click here.
Most of you don’t know this because I’ve never discussed it publicly, but I have suffered from intense foot pain for years.
I have flat feet and have had a variety of different aches and pains over the years. I got tired of living in pain a few years ago and finally went to the doctor where I was diagnosed with heel spurs and plantar fasciitis.
My doctor at the time didn’t think surgery was the answer (yet) and suggested I avoid basically all the shoes I love (including my all-time favorites, ballet flats). I did go out and buy some comfy shoes to wear per his recommendation, but as a business woman and someone who is into fashion, sneakers and some of the ugly yet comfy shoes I bought just couldn’t cut it all the time.
Eventually, I started wearing my trusty ballet flats again and just dealt with the pain. Maybe not the best decision, but it’s what I did.
A couple of months ago I saw an Instagram post about shoe inserts (officially called Heel Seats) from Heel that Pain. I was immediately intrigued and reached out to the company to learn more. Since then, I have been testing several different products from Heel That Pain and am SO excited to share my faves with you and explain how helpful they have been.
Let’s jump right in!
About Heel That Pain
The story of how Heel That Pain came to be is pretty fascinating. Art Smuckler, the founder, is a a Certified Pedorthist (CP-ED) which means he’s a professional who is able to modify footwear in order to address foot conditions. After decades of working in the field and finding that many common treatments were ineffective, he worked tirelessly to develop a solution to ease foot pain.
In the 90’s, the orthotics he created were not visually appealing and one client, a female Washington DC lobbyist, couldn’t wear them to work as she needed to maintain a professional and polished appearance. She was the first to try a product invented by Mr. Smuckler which later became the HTP Heel Seat. She wore the insert in her heels and work and within three weeks of use saw relief she had never experienced from other treatments.
Since then, everyone from clinical patients to NBA athletes have used and loved Heel That Pain products.
Additionally, one of my favorite parts of shopping with Heel That Pain is that purchases support Samaritan’s Feet, a charity whose mission is “creating a world with zero shoeless children”.
Products I Swear By
I have tried a variety of the products and am sharing my top three favorites with you:
These are the most popular product offered by Heel That Pain, and they’re total game changers. These are available in women’s sizes 5-13 and men’s sizes 5-15. They are made for daily wear and have been clinically proven to be 2x more effective than leading brands. You can also toss them into the washing machine to clean them which is so convenient. In addition to plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, they’re also known to support people with symptoms of shin splints, tendonitis and other disorders.
I put these to the test with my favorite dressy flats for work AND my favorite pair of Vans sneakers. The flats and sneakers are so cute but both have very flat insoles that always leave me in pain at the end of the day.
I was SO excited to realize that I could wear both pairs of shoes all day long and have little to no heel pain when I used the Heel Seats.
I am honestly a little mad at myself for not finding these sooner. The past couple years of my life have consisted of me rotating between wearing shoes that don’t hurt my feet but look less than ideal and wearing shoes that look great but leave me in intense pain at the end of the day. I didn’t realize there was a way for me to wear the shoes I love and avoid the pain.
To be completely transparent, when I first received the massage ball I thought there was no way it was going to be helpful. I didn’t think such a simple/basic product could actually help me. I was also a little concerned that putting additional pressure on my foot while using the ball would lead to more pain, not less.
I was immediately proven wrong when I tried it. Honestly, the massage I was able to give MYSELF by rubbing my foot over the ball was more relaxing than a massage from a pedicurist at a spa. I didn’t even realize how much tension I had in my feet until I started using the massage ball.
I like to keep it at my desk and use it when I need a quick “brain break”. I work from home so no shoes are required in my office! Haha. Otherwise, they’d be perfect during your morning routine alongside any stretches you do or after a long day as you wind down.
It’s hard to choose but I think this is my favorite of the items I tried! I’m OBSESSED with these ice pack slippers. As most of you know, my husband and I recently bought a house that we’re fixing up. I’ve been doing a ton of manual labor and have been way more active than usual over the past month.
I love to put on a thin pair of socks and these ice slippers at the end of a long day as part of my nighttime routine. It feels luxurious to wear them in bed while I’m reading my favorite books, blogs and magazines or listening to my favorite podcasts to wind down.
I especially find them helpful on days when I didn’t wear the Heel Seats and am experiencing heel pain. Given that it’s summer time and I’ve spent a lot of time in sandals, these Ice Pack Slippers are getting used almost daily!
Recommendations
I know that heel spurs and plantar fasciitis are very common, and while I’ve never really discussed mine, I’m hopeful that sharing my experience will encourage you to care for your feet too!
These products have been such a game changer for me, and I look forward to hearing your stories of trying them.
I also want to strongly encourage you to see your doctor if you’re experiencing consistent foot pain to ensure you have a proper diagnosis. I’m not a medical professional and am only sharing my own experiences with these products.
Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions about my experience and results! I’d be happy to answer them. Also, let me know… do you suffer from foot pain? How do you care for your feet?
Thanks for the recommendations!! Those ice slippers look neat!! While pain isn’t as intense as yours, I still experience swelling from time to time and pain when I walk too much. I want to be able to go on walks to stay active without so much pain or at least have a way to deal with it. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear the post is helpful!! I really do love the ice slippers so much! Can’t even explain how much relief I feel after wearing them for a bit. Let me know if you have any questions about the products as you browse! If I can’t answer I’ll ask the Heel That Pain team!
Heel Pain Team, How can I try these heel cups? I’ve had horrible planter fasciitis since doing s 5 k in August. I’ve had a cortisone shot and am taking physical therapy. I need relief! I work in retail and am on my feet 4 to 5 hours at a time. Thank you so much and please help me walk pain free again! Cindy Stevens
The ice slippers sound amazing.
They really are incredible! I wish I had them on right now! Haha.
Uhh gimme those ice slippers!! So cool.
They really are so cool! I love them!
I honestly need all of these! I have quite flat feet, and I’m a hairstylist so I am on my feet ALL day, and they are ALWAYS killing me. I am excited to try these!
Oh my gosh! They would be awesome for you! I can imagine that your feet hurt after all day on your feet!
OH! I definitely need to try the heel seats. I too deal with foot aches and pains! Thank you for sharing your story.
So glad you found it helpful! Let me know what you think about the heel seats if you order! ❤️
I’m so glad you found some products that work for you!
Thank you! They’ve been so helpful!
I need to look into some of these products for myself!
Let me know if you have any questions! If I don’t know the answer, I can reach out to the brand for you!
I have really high arches, very wide feet, and neuropathy. I love shoes, but my feet hurt a lot, even with medication and ugly shoes. I’d love to find products to help any or all of these issues.
I have really wide feet too but flat feet vs high arches. If you have any questions about the products on the Heel That Pain site please let me know. The brand has offered to help me answer any questions anyone has!
I don’t have foot pain, exactly, but if I wear cute shoes, my back is not happy about it at all (3-level fusion in my lower back, L3-S1). So I live in Birkenstocks in the summer and Danskos and Alegrias in the winter, and if I have some flat, uncomfortable shoes, I use Profoot memory foam insoles. I’ve had to pretty much give up heels. I end up wearing bulky footwear, but hey, I’m a 90’s girl, so my aesthetic sense isn’t offended by clunky shoes. 😉
That said, those ice slippers may make it into my house. Those would have been the SHIT back in the days of working retail and competing in speech tournaments on the weekends – that was 3 days of heels and we all had “second day” shoes because our feet swelled so much. We would literally turn the bathtub on super cold and soak our feet just to get into our shoes. Still, if I do a lot of standing or walking, those ice slippers would be grand.
Oh my gosh! The ice slippers are definitely game changers! Any day I’m extra active I can’t wait to get home to them! Let me know if you order them! Dying to hear your thoughts!
Ran across your blog today, and was intrigued by these products. Looks like I’ll be checking them out. I have a question for you, where did you get the sleeveless dress you are wearing at the beginning of the post? It is stinkin’ adorable! I’m not normally interested in fashion, I’m quite the klutz when it comes to shopping, especially for clothes or shoes, so when I notice something like this, that’s pretty monumental. Just saying…. Anyway, thanks for the info, and keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for reading! So glad you’re here! The dress is old from Lane Bryant! Maybe check Poshmark or eBay for it! ❤️
Hi there. Thank you so much for this post. I have been suffering with heel pain for about 3 years now. Do the heel seats stay in place well or do they slide around while you are walking?
they stay in place pretty well for me!