If you suffer from chronic foot pain, you may be desperate to find something that will relieve your pain and make it comfortable for you to go about your normal, daily routine. If you have purchased orthotics, you may have been thrilled at the prospect of finally having found a solution – that is, until you got the orthotics and tried to put them into your shoes.
Don’t be discouraged; you can wear your orthotics and get the relief that you have been hoping for. You just need to take a new approach to shoe shopping in order to find shoes that will work with your feet and your orthotic inserts.
Orthotic inserts are lightweight devices that are worn inside the shoes. They are frequently recommended by podiatrists and other healthcare professionals to correct abnormalities in the feet and relieve foot pain.
Orthotics only provide relief when they fit properly, and that includes both how they fit your feet and how they fit inside your shoes.
In order to get orthotics that fit your feet perfectly, your best bet is to order custom orthotics or choose arch supports with the help of a professional at a specialized footwear store.
Good Shoes for Orthotics
Once you have the perfect orthotics, you need to find the right shoes to wear with them. While online shopping can be a great timesaver in many situations, it’s not the best option when you are looking for shoes for orthotics.
You need to try on several different pairs of shoes with your orthotics inserted into the shoes, so this time it is probably best to visit a specialized footwear store.
When you are ready to go shoe shopping, plan to go in the afternoon. Your feet are likely to be a bit swollen in the afternoon, so you have the best chance to get the best fit if you try shoes on during that time.
Instead of going to a typical shoe store in the mall, plan to visit a footwear store that specializes in comfort footwear or orthopaedic shoes. They will have the type of shoes that are most compatible with orthotic inserts.
Although they are lightweight, orthotics will take up a bit of extra space in your shoes. Look for a shoe that has rounder toes with wider & deeper foot beds, which will provide you with a more comfortable and roomy fit.
Choose shoes that are flat or have a low heel. Many people find that they need to increase their shoe size by a half or full size in order to accommodate their orthotics, and others find that a wider shoe fits their orthotics more comfortably.
When you go shopping, take your orthotics with you. Insert them into each pair of shoes as you try them on so that you can get an accurate fit. You should also bring the socks that you would normally wear with the orthotics.
Be sure to try on a variety of different shoes, and spend several minutes walking around the store while trying on each pair. In this situation, you really need to feel each pair; you cannot purchase shoes for orthotics based on sight alone.
If you visit a specialized footwear store, the professionals there can often offer recommendations to you in regard to which brands of shoes or sandals are best suited to use with orthotics. They can also measure your feet for you to help you find the appropriate size.
If you do not yet own orthotics, a specialsied footwear store may be able to provide you with a pair that is appropriate for your foot condition or even order a custom set of arch supports.
Visit Foot Solutions UK to learn more about our full range of arch supports – we can even create custom arch supports for you. If you already have your own custom orthotics, then we can also help you to choose the appropriate shoes or sandals to accommodate those.
