Class Action Alleges Protalus Insoles’ Pain-Relief Guarantee Unsupported by Scientific Evidence

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A Massachusetts couple alleges in a proposed class action that the insole products sold by Protalus, LLC do not treat or alleviate pain from common injuries as represented by the company.

The lawsuit explains that Protalus and its affiliates sell online a line of non-custom insoles that the defendants guarantee will relieve and treat “a myriad of common injuries,” including neuropathy, plantar fasciitis, back pain, heel spurs, diabetic foot, high arches, blisters, heel pain, hammer toes, and swelling. According to the plaintiffs, however, Protalus’ claims that its insoles will provide “immediate relief” and “long-term benefits” and correct misalignment of the body are false and unsupported by scientific evidence.

In truth, the lawsuit argues, “numerous studies, reviews and articles by experts” have demonstrated that foot orthotics such as Protalus insoles do not correct the underlying problems for which they claim to provide relief, and can even worsen such conditions.

According to one expert cited in the lawsuit, “corrective” orthotics “do not correct so much as lead to a reduction in muscle strength.”

The lawsuit further decries the defendants for reportedly charging a premium price—between $79.95 and $99.95—for their insoles. According to the case, the products “do not provide any greater benefit” than insoles that cost as little as $10 to $30. The plaintiffs would never have paid such a “substantial premium price” for Protalus insoles but for the defendants’ allegedly false claims, the suit says.

The lawsuit seeks to cover anyone who purchased Protalus insoles in the United States since October 18, 2015, with a proposed subclass of those who did so in Massachusetts.