Carbon Plates are used to relieve pain for an arthritic foot and mid foot arthritis. Often prescribed for hallux ridgidus (a stiff big toe). Toes are a hinge joint, and most people are born with 65-80 degrees of motion in the first toe. Due to genetics, injury, and ill fitting shoes (shoes that are to narrow or to short in length), the toe can get rigid over time.Carbon Plates are best used in conjunction with an orthotic and rocker botttom shoes. There are a limited number of rocker bottom dress shoes on the market. Most running sneakers, however, do have rocker bottoms. My favorites companies that sell rocker bottom sneakers are Hoka, Brooks, MBT, and New Balance. You can always look at this website for further details.