To address whether custom made foot insoles could be used for primary prevention of lower limb overuse injuries, the investigators conducted a prospective, randomized controlled study comparing the use of insoles and standard shoes in healthy young adults exposed to increased physical activity.

Inclusion criteria:

• healthy conscripts without any diagnosed deformities of lower limb by physician in premilitary physical examination

Exclusion criteria:

• major orthopaedic or medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, inflammatory arthritis, previous severe trauma (exclusion criteria for the military service)
• patients were excluded from our study if they already had insoles prescribed by a physician or a physiotherapist (eight patients)
• since only 2% of Finnish conscripts are females, they were excluded from the study