What to do When Your Orthotic Insole Just Won’t Fit

If you recently purchased a pair of pricy orthotic insoles, the last thing you want is for them to resist sliding into your favourite pair of shoes.

If you have shoes you love and your orthotic insoles don’t fit, it can be super frustrating.

It may also mean that you wear your orthotics less, which is not ideal.

The reality is that not every pair of shoes can accept a pair of orthotic insoles. Even if your orthotics do fit into one pair of your shoes, it’s not a guarantee that they’ll be able to be transferred between pairs. The best custom orthotics are made to fit your feet, as well as the shoes that they’re created for.

Today, we’ll show you how to adjust the fit on orthotics you’ve already purchased, as well as strategies for ensuring a better fitting custom orthotic insole in the future.

The Best Shoes for Orthotics

The best shoes for orthotics have a roomy toe box, and enough volume within the shoe to accommodate the addition of an orthotic device. Shoes with removable footbeds are often the most comfortable for use with an orthotic device, as it’s easy to remove the entire footbed and replace it with the new orthotic.

Shoes that have less volume and are designed to look more fitted (like dress shoes and ballet flats) are often incompatible with orthotics.

Fitting an orthotic into these shoes may make it bunch or wrinkle, which can irritate your feet. Orthotics that don’t fit correctly into a pair of shoes are also not able to provide support in the right places, which can exacerbate the issues that you’re trying so hard to correct.

3 Tips for How to Fit an Orthotic in Your Shoes

It’s important to remember that not every shoe can take an orthotic insole. Fortunately, there are some ways to adjust the fit of your orthotics in your shoes. These tips can help you find the right fit.

Remove the Glued-In Insole

If your shoes have enough volume, and the existing shoe insoles are flat, you may be able to fit your orthotic devices on top of the glued-in insole. If you can’t, you can try and remove the glued-in insole.

To do this, examine the shoe to see whether the insole is glued or tacked into the shoe. If it’s glued, you can try to use a hairdryer to melt the glue enough for you to pry the insole away.

If it’s tacked in, use a flat-head screwdriver to lift the tacks and gently pull the insole away.

Trim the Insole

If your orthotic device is slightly too large for your shoes, you can carefully trim the top to fit. Use the insole you removed from your shoe as a template for trimming the orthotic insole to the correct shape. However, if your insole is too wide, it’s not advisable to trim it, as it could affect its function.

Buy Different Shoes

If you’ve already invested in a pair of orthotic insoles only to find that they don’t fit in your existing shoes, you may need to purchase a new pair. Take your insoles with you when you go shoe shopping, and make sure they fit when trying on the new pair, and before you leave the store with your new purchase.

Also, don’t rely on the standard size you always purchase. Every manufacturer sizes their shoes differently, and a size 9 in one brand might be a size 9.5 or even 10 in another.

The Benefit of Buying Shoes and Custom Insoles Together

To avoid all this hassle, the best option is to purchase shoes and custom insoles together.

That way, you can guarantee that your insoles will fit into your chosen pair of shoes, and you can get advice from a trained pedorthist on which shoe brands work best with the insoles you need.

When you buy custom orthotic insoles from Orthotics Direct, we go one step further. Before your custom insoles leave our facility, we trim them to fit your chosen shoes, and carefully check to make sure the fit is right. Our craftsmanship and attention to detail ensure your orthotics will always perform as needed.