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flatfooted
06-30-2013, 18:43
I wear custom-made orthotics for my flat feet. I'm looking for gym shoes, and dress shoes, for everyday wear (not hiking). I guess I need a secure fit. My orthotics do not seem to fit extremely well in a lot of shoes. I think my foot may move around in the shoe. Does anyone know of shoes in which orthotics fit well?

PAMBO
06-30-2013, 19:08
YOU MIGHT TRY LOOKING INTO SHOES FOR DIABETICS I wear orthodics also and they fit my orthodics well, as many people with diabetes have feet problems they make the shoes to accomodate orthodics. I am happy the way mine fit and the cost is equall to what you pay for a name brand shoe...

Bati
06-30-2013, 20:10
Gym shoes should be fairly easy to find; simply make sure that you can remove the cheap insole that comes with the shoe in the store and walk around with your orthotic and proper socks when you try them on in the store. Most good athletic shoes will have removable insoles, lace tightly enough and be tall enough to handle any extra height from the orthotic. Dress shoes are a different matter entirely. Search online for orthotic-compatible brands, or go to a shoe store that can handle orthopedic shoes. They should also carry a range of orthotic-compatible shoes, and probably diabetic ones too, as Pambo pointed out. Consider changing your dress socks to something like black thro-lo walking socks if you need the extra padding to make the shoes fit, but be sure you try on the shoes with the socks you'll wear. Don't be picky about stlye (you won't have many options here) and repeat the process as with athletic shoes. If the clerk doesn't want to remove the insoles due to too much glues, don't buy those shoes (they shouldn't have shown them to you in the first place.)
If you're at a cheaper shoe store (the ones that sell custom-made shoes aren't cheap) where you serve yourself, look for the brands you found in your internet search or others with removable insoles. The clues besides that to getting a good fit include lacing up or fastening fairly high up on the foot/arch so that your foot slips less, and a fairly high heel to accommodate the extra height. For athletic shoes, if you have extra 'optional" eyelets at the top that allow you lace the top differently, they may help. There's no need to pay extra for the 'great arch support', as you'll be throwing it out, but sometimes these types of shoes fit orthotics well.
Finally, if your orthotics have a toe bed that isn't supportive, you may have to trim them a bit to fit in some shoes. There shouldn't be much trimming or the shoes are probably too small, but any areas where you foot doesn't cover the orthotics, such as the tip are fair game for the scissors.

Wise Old Owl
06-30-2013, 20:27
+1 on Bati's post. I wear Solomon or Teva

flatfooted
06-30-2013, 20:41
I have Aetrex dress shoes. Recommended by my podiatrist. My orthotics don't feel that great in them. It seems like orthotics don't fit wonderfully in a lot of shoes (from my experience).

I have some Mizuno running shoes that work OK with my orthotics. I would like to find some that cheaper if I can.

flatfooted
07-01-2013, 19:53
Thanks to everyone for their advice.

Snowleopard
07-01-2013, 20:51
My orthotics fit well in vivobarefoot, a good choice if you need lots of toe room. You might have to try them out in a bunch of different shoes till you find one that works well for you.

Many running and hiking shoes/boots have a removable insert. Remove this and put your orthotics in. If your orthotics are not full length, you can trim the shoe insert so that there is no insert under the orthotic. This gives you a bit more padding where there is no orthotic and helps hold the orthotic in place.