The Best Orthotics for Dress Shoes
Orthotics for dress shoes nowadays come in many different styles and sizes. Gone are the days when a foot orthotic relegates you to wearing a big, bulky hard plastic orthotic that barely fits any runner, let alone a casual or work shoe.
Dress Shoe Orthotics
Over the past decade, we at Kintec have worked hard to develop different styles of orthotics. This means different shapes and sizes as well as using different materials.
Slim Dress Orthotic
A slim dress orthotic, for example, is just the length of your arch, without any additional materials at the forefoot. This means you don’t need to worry about removing a liner from your shoes, you simply place the orthotic within the shoe. This allows for an orthotic without taking up any extra space in the forefoot.
This is the orthotic I most often recommend for dress shoes. It is versatile and can be transferred between appropriate styles of ballet flats, lace-up oxfords, low-heeled fashion boots and casual sneakers (Converse, Vans etc), as well as men’s dress shoes.
‘Cobra’ Orthotic
For ladies in heels, we do make an orthotic to fit 2” heels or lower. This is also known as a “cobra” orthotic because of its unique S-shape.
The pared-down orthotic fits best into very low-profile heels and we are still able to provide arch support and forefoot support. Of course, we can’t make up for the fact that more load is on the forefoot due to the nature of the shoes, but when your profession demands dressier footwear it’s nice to know options are out there.
Kristin Ohm-Pedersen
Kintec Pedorthist, North Vancouver
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