Does anyone know of any good insoles for the New Balance shoes. Last couple of games my leg are starting to hurt almost like shin splints (half way between the ankle and knee just to the inside of the shin). Thanks for your help.

I really like the Sof-Sole insoles carried by Dick's Sporting Goods. The NB608's have more cushion than the 609's but they are hard to find. They are also harder to shine but much more comfortable.

IMO wearing 2 pairs of athletic socks works much better than using an insole - unless an insole's been prescribed by a dr of course.

Spenco
 

Spenco has good inserts. Polysorb something or another.

Mregor

I have some Dr. Scholl's inserts that I got at Walmart that work very well in my 609s.

From what I can tell, it's a very personal thing. You have to figure out what works best for you. I've got inserts from a podiatrist that have worked very well for me, and I'm not planning to switch any time soon, but others find that the off-the-shelf things work fine.

For shin splints, I recommend the exercises I have used to great effect. Simply walk around the house on your heels with your toes up . Not too much at first, but gradually doing more and more. Makes a huge difference.

I assume you mean "better than replacing the insole" -- no one would wear a shoe w/o an insole, would they? ;)

In any event, the insoles wear out faster than the rest of the shoe and will need to be replaced. You can't just keep wearing more socks to make up for the decreased cushion of the insole.

You can also stretch the front of the leg by kneeling with the toes pointing back. Lean back / sit on your heels, pushing the front of your ankle against the floor. If you're not very flexible, do this gently at first.

Ahhh...I see. I assumed he wanted to "upgrade" his inserts, not just buy new ones. yeah, if your originals are worn out get new ones. Anyway, the double socks helped me with shin splints, along with stretching.

Sold shoes for 22 years so this I know...
spenco are the best if you need insoles, BUT, my first question to you would be how old are the shoes you are wearing? Or how about the quality of the shoes? If you've reffed in the same pair for a year, give em up and make them your fishing shoes. Stay with a good brand of shoes, perferably leather not the "leather like" type that you see alot of.
Hope this was of some help.

Bought shoes first of season (NB609's). I work 2 games every night and 3-4 on saturday. Feet started ache so I tried some new insole now my legs are hurting. Never had the problem before. Could it be lack of stretching or the insole I put in. HELP..

Sounds like the supports have broke down in the shoes. Not the insoles that you are putting in, but the honey comb design that is actualy under the insole that you cannot see. Try a different pair of shoes, stretching out probably isnt going to help but cant hurt. Did all this start when you begain wearing this pair of shoes?

Another thought, if you feel it is the supports, find a shoe repair shop that sells spenco supports and ask the salesman for the ones that have the best "cookie"(not as in chocolet)they should know what you are talking about. If they dont, leave becouse he is just trying to sell you a support, not fix your problem.

To take this one-step further it may well be the shoes. At the beginning of last season, 2002-03, I switched from Reeboks’ DMX to NB608s. My beloved Reeboks died and I could not find them in a local store. My legs started to hurt just like yours. Tried Spenco Cross Trainer insoles but the were of little or no help.

While talking to a friend at work, she asked me how refereeing was going. I told her about my problems and how I can hardly walk after some games. She is a serious armature runner, 10Ks and a number of Marathons. She then asked if I was using New Balance shoes. She related that she and a number of her co-runners have had problems with the newer NB shoes' built in arches. Bad leg problems developed in a short period of time for all of them. It seems that the arch is in the wrong place for some peoples’ feet. This only shows up when you are running and thus pounding on them.

I was able to find some DMXs online and in a few weeks my legs were fine. SO, even though you sunk a lot of money into the 609s I’d say try to find some other shoe.

I'm looking for a new pair of shoes for next season. Something that shines better too. My NB caused the same problems.. I use the Dr. Sholls Dyna Step Sport inserts and it fixed my problem almost over night. I will try Reboxx and Knike shoes next year. I've even thought about the converse patent leather u can find in the back of the rule book.