Greetings! Two questions: 1. Occasional big toe joint pain,

Greetings! Two questions: 1. Occasional big toe joint pain, but doesn't fit any description of gout that I've found. Throughout any given day, multiple times a day, it will lock up. When it happens, it is pretty painful, but if I force it up by pushing it against something, the pain immediately subsides. No swelling, no redness, no sensitivity of the skin... just the joint. 2. My old orthotic insoles are falling apart. What's the conventional wisdom these days regarding orthotics?