Insole

Abstract

An insole having a soft, resiliently compressible cushioning urethane foam body shaped to be placed inside footwear and to lie be beneath the length and width of the user's foot; the forefoot portion having a forefoot oblong or circular domed pad which is positioned to be under an MTP-1 joint of a user to elevate and cushion the MTP-1 joint of the user by 2 mm to 4 mm thereby supinating the user's foot towards an lateral outer side of the insole. A continuous flexible and minimally compressible support shell attached to the foam body extending from along the perimeter of the insole from the medial edge of the insole from the forefoot pad back to the lateral edge of the rearfoot portion to cradle the heel. The support shell is configured to help stabilize and correct the user's foot position to more properly align the user's kneecap to reduce knee pain.

I claim: 
     
         1 . An insole for footwear, comprising:
 the insole having a top surface for receiving a bottom of a user's foot, a bottom surface, a toe end, a heel end, an inner medial portion having a medial edge, an outside lateral portion having a lateral edge, a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion and a rearfoot portion have a rear edge;   the insole having a substantially soft, resiliently compressible cushioning urethane foam body dimensioned and shaped to be placed inside footwear and to lie be beneath the length and width of the user's foot;   the forefoot portion having a forefoot oblong or circular domed pad which is positioned to be under an MTP-1 joint of a user to elevate and cushion the MTP-1 joint of the user by 2 mm to 4 mm thereby supinating the user's foot towards an lateral outer side of the insole, wherein a front end of the forefoot portion is dimensioned to be placed beneath a distal end of toes of the wearer wearing the insole;   the rearfoot portion having a rearfoot circular or oblong domed pad attached to the foam body for inclining the foot of the wearer towards the outer side of the insole; and   a continuous flexible and minimally compressible support shell attached to the foam body extending from along the perimeter of the insole from the medial edge of the insole from the forefoot pad back and around the heel edge to the lateral edge of the rearfoot portion to cradle the heel, the support shell extending towards and onto the bottom surface on the medial side of the insole, wherein the support shell is configured to help stabilize and correct the user's foot position to more properly align the user's kneecap to reduce knee swelling, pain and discomfort.   
     
     
         2 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the rearfoot portion pad is made from a thermoplastic polyurethane or a non-Newtonian material. 
     
     
         3 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the forefoot portion is 2.0 to 2.5 mm thick and the forefoot pad is a dome at 2-5 mm at its thickest point resulting in an overall thickness of 4-7.5 mm. 
     
     
         4 . The insole of  claim 1 , further comprising a velvety doth layer attached to the top surface of the foam body. 
     
     
         5 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the support shell is made from the group consisting of Rubber, plastic material, TPU, gel, thermoplastic polyester elastomer, and EVA. 
     
     
         6 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the support shed has a modulus of 65,000 to 130,000 psi as determined by a standard ASTM test, and a hardness in the range of 60 to 80 Shore D. 
     
     
         7 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the support shell has a thickness of 2 mm. 
     
     
         8 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the midfoot portion has a raised longitudinal arch on the medial side configured and shaped to support an arch of the user. 
     
     
         9 . The insole of  claim 8 , wherein the midfoot arch portion is integrally formed within the midsole portion of the insole. 
     
     
         10 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the support shell extends laterally along the insole bottom surface at the midfoot arch portion and the forefoot MTB-1 joint portion. 
     
     
         11 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the foam body has a hardness in the range of 30 to 80 on the Asker C scale.