Testimonials
All the following testimonials are from our customers over the years. The original letters or emails are kept on file in our national office. To add your own testimonial, please send an This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. These testimonials are generally for Step Forward orthotics until 2021 and could be for either Step Forward or Step Flex since 2021. Both brands are essentially the same in respect of their performance.
Hint: Try Ctrl F to search for keywords like "knee" or "plantar".
Christine S. (Aug 2018):
It's been nearly a year since I bought my orthotics from Andrew at Newbury. I cannot do without them. They have been fantastic. With them I feel taller and straighter and only if I forget to pop them in a change of shoes, do I suffer with ongoing back problems. I know they are expensive but I was paying out £20 a year for inserts that didn't work. These are brilliant, worth taking the time to get used to and persevere with. Thank you.
Graham of Marlborough, Wilts (Sep 2017):
Hi Andrew. When I arrived at the Newbury motorhome show in May 2017 I expected to struggle with my walking. Then I came across you and your incredible product! That day I spent the best money I have ever spent. All too often I have bought items that have turned out to be a waste of money but not this time! I didn’t follow the advice you gave, typical me, and kept the inserts in all the time, every day. Yes, at the end of those first days my feet ached a little but that was nothing to what I'd been putting up with for the last 12 months or more. I have Morton’s Neuroma in both feet (in fact three in my left foot) and have been in agony. Having had failed injections I had resigned myself to the scrap heap, forced to take early retirement and was in a very depressed state indeed. Now I am a different man. No, my problems have not gone away completely but if they never get any better I can cope with my lot now thanks to your shoe inserts. Everything you claimed that day has come true. I walk far more upright; I can walk far further; I CAN WALK! In early June I went to Europe in my motorhome for five weeks and every day I could do more and more and now I am looking to take on some work. I have done almost nothing now for about 18 months and am now looking to actually earning some money! If anyone has any doubts about spending their hard earned cash then show them this email. "Dear painful feet person, take my advice and buy, you have little to lose and everything to gain. I did and it was the best thing to happen to me in years!" Thank you again, Andrew, for being at the Newbury Motorhome Show. Without you and your product I really do not know where I would be today.
Philip of Doncaster, S Yorkshire (Sep 2017):
Andrew, I bought these orthotics from you at Chatsworth, and I can't believe the improvement they are giving my lower back. I've been seeing chiropractors & physio's for years with limited success. They were a bit sore to wear on Monday & Tuesday but today they have bedded in nicely. Glad I met you!
Julie of Chesterfield, Derbyshire (Nov 2016):
I was at Chatsworth show in September & bought a pair of your insoles, as I have plantar fasciitis & achilles tendonitis, hoping for some relief from the pain, especially as I was due to go on holiday at the end of September for 4 weeks. I gradually built up wearing the insoles & was using them all day by the time I went. Whilst away I have managed to walk regularly without much pain & ended up doing 2 hikes, 1 for 8.5 miles across the top of the Grand Canyon & another for 6 miles both without stopping. Before the insoles I couldn’t have done anywhere near this level of walking without the pain. So the insoles combined with foot exercises have really helped & I thought I would share this with you.
Rita of Bognor, W Sussex (Jun 2016):
She likes them.
David of Seaton, Devon (Aug 2015):
He likes them.
Katie of Cheddington, Bucks (Apr 2015):
I was fitted with Step Forward orthotics last July. As a runner I was having terrible trouble suffering with plantar fasciitis. I was seeing a Sports Therapist weekly and that enabled me to keep running but with quite considerable discomfort. I began to develop other minor, but painful, problems with my legs. I decided to give Step Forward Orthotics a go and slowly built up the time I wore them. I must admit they were very uncomfortable initially but I did persist with them. I'm delighted I did because my plantar fasciitis is no longer a problem, I get no pain whatsoever any more. I do wear them in my running shoes also and I no longer need to visit the Sports Therapist. Thank you Step Forward Orthotics! I would not be running so well without my orthotics!! 2 marathons last year, 1 this year and a good for age time too!! I would recommend your product without reservation!
Tricia of Stroud, Gloucs (Dec 2014):
The Step Forward orthotics really have made walking pain-free. The angle on my bunions has improved somewhat (though not yet straightened out), but the main thing is that they haven’t got any worse. I’m hopeful that I won’t need surgery now.
Mike P. of London SW1 (Dec 2014):
Thank you for my Step Forward Orthotics, I'm so pleased with them and 100% rely on them to prevent injuries; so much so that I will not go running without them. I never got injuries until age 35 or so when I was often at the physio with calf strains and injuries. The orthotics have allowed me to enjoy running again without fear of injury so I would recommend anyone who has repeat running injuries to consult a physio who can supply you a pair suitable for your feet. The initial cost seemed a lot but they are well made, last years and the net cost is actually minimal compared to the frustration of injury and the further cost of treatment.
Viv A. of Queenstown NZ and Essex UK (Feb 2013):
Despite having treatment for Plantar Fasciitis in the UK, I was still unable to walk for more than an hour a day. After wearing in slowly the Step Forward Orthotics which I purchased in NZ, I am now able to garden, which I do all day, having no pain from my foot at all. I don't think I could carry on a normal way of life without them. Thank you.
Edward H. of Dorset, England (Jul 2012):
I'm now using them all day, every day, whenever I am out.
They're perfect for my golf shoes and hiking boots. I did a 50 mile hike over 3 days and for the first time for many, many years, I did not have to take my boots off each time we stopped to give the feet a breather!!! I think they are the "bees knees"!!
Michael, Acupuncturist from WA, Australia (May 2011):
My clients are all thrilled so far with their Step Forward orthotics. I shake my head at the terrible stuff most podiatrists make for their patients! I’m also very pleased that I can offer my patients an in-house solution to their problems that I know works as I use them myself.
Dr Peter Pocock, Chiropractor from Hoppers Crossing, VIC, Australia (Nov 2009):
I wear orthotics myself so I have to be impressed by the orthotics before I will prescribe them for my patients. I get great results. In fact my feet feel better using Step Forward Orthotics compared with any other orthotics I had used in the past. My feet feel like they are getting massaged all day. They feel less tired at the end of a day's work. I am able to run without knee pain and work more effectively. I have no hesitation in recommending Step Forward Orthotics.
Dr Odette Reader, Chiropractor from Salisbury, SA, Australia:
I am even more impressed with the Step Forward orthotics because I have had knee surgery, some 35 years ago, and then hurt my knee in the snow in Canada last Xmas. I had constant 'bone pain' knee pain with a severe limp for 6 months even with chiropractic management (my chiropractor is a trained and qualified sports chiropractor). Nevertheless the knee pain was so intense of a non-stop nagging pain that both my chiropractor and myself were looking at possible surgical intervention. It was at the Congress in June 2005 that I put in the orthotics (in my normal pair Spanish leather fitted shoes) and within minutes the knee pain stopped for the first time in 6 months. Maybe now you can see how pleased and convinced I am about the orthotics and the management of knee pain!
I have worn podiatric orthotics supplied by a variety of podiatrists in Canada and Australia for almost 40 years. They were prescribed for me due to muscle cramping when I was competitive swimming and weight lifting. I have found that I would de-compensate after some months of wear and developed persistent low back pain and headaches. I would need to take them out until the foot pain (plantar fasciitis) or back pain (scoliosis) became worse and then a new pair of orthotics would relieve this pain for months. This cycle has continued for all these years. My brother-in-law is a podiatrist! I still like your products better!! User friendly, practical and functional (no gross matronly shoes!).