By Deb on Wednesday, January 07, 2004 - 07:44 pm:

Except my Brooks sneakers, which were prescribed by the physical therapist who made my orthotics.

The Brooks had thick factory insoles. They're arcane running shoes for people who pronate, so they have a sort of generic insole in there already. I took them out and put in the orthotics and no worries.

But the orthotic-foot combination is a serious problem in shoes other than the Brooks. The orthotics are about an inch tall and they push my feet up inside the shoes. It's like lining your shoe with an inch-thick pad: you have less room between the top of the shoe and the top of the foot.

I've been wearing sneakers for months and it's driving me mad. I finally bought new Docs today, pulled out the factory insoles, put in the orthotics, and found that there just isn't room for insoles and feet in there. I'm six shades of pissed off.

What can I wear with inch-thick orthotic insoles? Boots alone won't solve the problem, as the space between top of foot and top of boot (the foot compartment) will still be too small.

Help.

By Az on Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 01:18 am:

Have you tried something like a pair of army boots? They can come in very similar styles to Doc Martins, but usually there appears to be more room in my opinion anyway.

By Debs sneakers on Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 06:59 am:

I'll try on some trail shoes today -- high-top ankle boots with extra room. Someone here (Myke) wears Merrills with his rigid braces, so maybe Merrills have enough room for orthotics, too. I wear a low-cut lace-up brace on my right ankle but it doesn't need much room. The orthotics, on the other hand...

I have spent most of my life in Doc Marten shoes. This is an unpleasant adjustment.

By Az on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 10:19 am:

Hard to find anything isnt it? I tried a pair of boxer boots, but turns out to fit comfy with my ankle braces I would need a size larger than normal and that would just leave my feet flapping inside them. Good look with the Merrils

By Midhelle Castle on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 04:59 pm:

You might try contacting shoe stores in your area to find out if any of them make foot orthotics or custom made shoes. I buy my shoes at a locally owned store that repairs shoes, sells standard and custom orthotics, and sells normal and custom-made shoes. After my insurance copany paid over $600 for some custom insoles for me, I was stunned when this store made an exact copy of the insoles for only $25. They've been just as effective at eliminating my foot pain.

So I'd suggest looking in the phone book for shoes - orthopedic or something similar. You might a local store that could offer you a few options, whether that's new insoles or shoes with enough space for your current ones. Hope you find something that works for you!

Michelle

By Myke on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 08:45 am:

Yup - t'is me and the Merrells kick ass.

BTW: if anyone's as stupid as me, I just got a pair of Solaman Performa 7.0 Alpine Ski boots - they're ideal for my joint problems... and they should be - took 3 hours to get them fit! Custom adjusted et al. too!

Took 'em out on the slopes the other night... oh man was that fun. Now if I could do something about the -44C windchill PLUS my decsent speed... (probably -55C!)

By Deb of the Wobbly Ankles on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 12:15 pm:

Whoa. Take it easy out there, Myke. I can practically hear your joints fragmenting from here. ;)

I'm wearing a pair of Ecco boots for now. They're plain, black, comfortable: anything to get out of the running shoes! I'm going to talk to the woman who made my insoles about custom shoes. Some, like TruFit, look like normal shoes but have the depth necessary for my orthotics.

I tried on more rigid braces and found that they didn't do what I needed them to do, which is hold the bones in place. They feel like rocks dropped in a sock. On advice, I tried a Mueller XXS lace-up brace with thin, rigid sides. When laced tightly, it cuts my ankle pain in half. Amazing.

I still miss my Docs and look longingly at them every day.

By myke on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 08:09 am:

Try wearing ski boots - *now* you're talking about ankle support. I'd love it if I could wear 'em year round...

By Deb on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 04:36 pm:

I haven't been on skis since 1992. I had a lot of problems getting proper boots, partly because I'm short and the average boot reached nearly to my knee. I had a great, very short pair of Nordicas when I quit.

Looking back, I can see that a lot of the foot and lower-leg pain I was in was due to a desperate need for orthotics.

When I lose a little weight, I'll try skiing again. I bet boot design has come light years from where it was.

By Myke on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 08:12 am:

If you have a good fitter at the ski shop, they can install a heel-lift that will prevent your calf muscle from digging into the top/back of the boot...

But yeah - boots have come a long way. I love these ones, my first own pair after years of rentals.

Weight? Why wait? You'll go faster! ;)

PS: if you wanna see a digipic of m'boots, email my nickname at mWare dot ca