Shoes I can put orthotics in that don't look 'old'

[jennimoo]

I've been wearing custom orthotics in my shoes for years and they really help with pain I get, but other than boots I haven't found any nice shoes I can wear them with. I can wear them with a slight heel but mainly wear flat shoes. The shoes have to be fairly wide / deep to fit the big of plastic into the back half of the shoe. Often shoes fall off my feet as there isn't enough heel to keep them on...

Any ideas? I've been wearing very unattractive but practical hotters shoes for work, and boots or trainers for home, but would love something nicer.

Not thrilling but Clarkes have removable insoles.

Ecco -pricey but soooooooo much better than Hotter imo.

Evans-worth a look as their shoes come up in various widths so perfect for insoles.

I had custom made orthotics,I hate them, they are soooooooo uncomfortable

Clarks brogues some come in wide fitting. My mum wears them with her orthotics. And bang on trend!

Once you get used to them you can't be without them though! Did you start with a short time each day and work up?

I'll check out Ecco and Clark's. I didn't think the insoles were removable last time i tried Clark's bit they could have changed.

Try Moshulu, I get most of my shoes there at the minute, also German makes - Rieker and Remonte-Dorndorff, and Clarkes Unstructured. Hotter might well fit too, although I haven't tried them myself they look like the kind of shoes that usually fit me. I have to wear orthotics all the time but recently have been able to find more halfway decent looking shoes than just a few years ago. Most of my shoes have a strap over the top though, I can't keep pumps on with the orthotics.

Sympathies, recommend Gabor too. But I'd expect to expand your boot collection, they're the best...jones sometimes have the odd pair that work too.

Have you tried speaking to a cobbler? Mine will slice bits off the sole on one shoe which means I can have a much thinner insole on the other.

I wear mine in normal knee high boots, and in vans (a size up).

I struggle to find shoes to accommodate my orthotics too. I wear sensible Cornish pasty lace up shoes from Clarks, or boots.

Yes I used to give a small smile when the orthotics people would recommend a nice pair of black lace ups to me when I was 18! I'd love to wear really inappropriate footwear!

Clarkes unstructured have the removable soles.

Anything over an inch heel renders orthotic devices useless because your foot slips off it in the stance phase of gait.

They only work in stance position.

I have orthotics and they are quite bulky and hard to fit into most shoes.

For pretty shoes I have some bloch patent ballet pumps, they are a curved shape and this helps to keep them and the orthotics on my feet.

For winter I have a pair of flat black boots from dune, I find that if you can get boots that have a zip that goes all the way down this helps to get the orthotic in, get it in the right place, and the orthotic is more likely to stay in place when you put your foot in.

For work I wear black lace up sketchers as they fit my insoles in perfectly.

I need orthotics, have wide duck feet and a high instep, plus a narrow heel, and I'm afraid that, since a discontinued style of kickers bit the dust, I've drawn a very expensive blank. I have some lovely Rieker boots which support my ankles and stop me from over-pronating that way, but I can't even get my feet into them if i put inserts in. I walk a lot with no expectation of smartness (school run) so I've been trying to find some running or walking trainers for over pronation, but I've tried dozens and found none wide enough, that don't cause me pain.

Another vote for Clarks unstructured range for flats with removable insoles. I also like Think! Shoes, because their removable insoles are quite thick, most styles accommodate wider feet and they usually have a deep heel cup, which helps keep shoes on. Styles like the Aida have a low Cuban heel so looks dressier than a complete flat, if quirky. But they have become very expensive! I was lucky and got some Orthoheel slides with built in pronation correction( less than my custom orthotics but better than nothing) from TKMaxx, but have not seen them recently. Worth keeping an eye on TKMaxx as they sometimes have 'orthotic' brands thrown in with everything else. I got a pair of Allegria Mary Janes recently in purple animal print patent-which are defiantly not old lady shoes but make my feet look boat sized - but so comfortable!

Have you tried dr martens? They have lots of different shoe and boot styles (and were originally invented for orthodontics)

Thanks for all the tips. I've bookmarked the pages ready for when the weather improves and I can't get away with boots anymore.

There do soon to be a few nice ones I can try, after all.