Help Finding Arch Support Dress shoes

I haven't seen any dress shoes with good arch support, but maybe someone makes them. Have you checked into orthotics? They slip inside the shoe to put your foot in the right position, but they are hard to make fit into all shoes. I think Dr. Scholl sells some kind of arch supports too which you might slip into a dress shoe.

I finally gave up trying to wear dress shoes to work and wear Easy Spirit ("Motion") with orthotics inside. Definitely not the look I want, but my feet feel a lot better at the end of the day.

I have the flattest feet ever seen. Plus I pronate quite bad. I was in a wheelchair for 3 yr. and dr. said I would never walk again, most likely the neuropathy. I went to a special foot dr. that makes orthodics individually for each foot, no let's stamp out thousands for all the feet. I am on my feet most of the day, and no pain now, the wheelchair is in the attic. Also there are orthodics that are made of fiberglass, and one of steel, I would stay away from them. The spine and bones need give, and these have no give. Hunt around for a good orthodic in your area, then you look for shoes that will fit the orthodic. I have nice New Balance, which is cut deeper for orthodics, a few SAS shoes, and a few others that I found here and there. Hurting feet makes you hurt. The fellow who makes my orthodics will go shoe shopping with you also. He has a patent on his product, but his friend is making them now for football and baseball teams so they do not sprain their ankles.
Darlene

Darlene87,
What is the name of his product? Has anyone tried other orthotics cheaper than the ones made by the doctor, if so what has your experience beeen?

Nice going, Darlene. Glad to hear you got out of that chair!

Waymom,

Your post caught my eye. I have rheumatoid arthritis and my ankles and feet also pronate severely and I have no arches. I went to the nearest Foot Solutions store and they have saved me! I bought a pair of fexible but pretty strong dress arch supports from them. They were under $100. The supports flex a little but still offer enough support for comfort walking type shoes. Granted, I will probably never wear "dress" shoes again because there is not enough space for this arch support.

But I can wear some comfortable walking type shoes with them. Shoes like some Naturalizers, Softspots, etc. It's a real pain to have to try them all on with the orthotic, but that's life.

I also found Finn Comfort shoes. They are made in Germany and sold at Foot Solutions, Nordstrom's and several other American shoe stores. They have a solid cork arch support in their shoes and sandals. I could not ever wear sandals if it weren't for this brand. I love them. They are so supportive and many of the styles are cute. They are worth every penny.

In fact, the arch supports inside the shoes are removable and the pedorthist (not sure I spelled that right) at Foot Solutions even adds a little more arch for me. She glues a thin layer of a hard flexible plastic under the arches and then grinds it down smooth. This adds another 1/4 inch arch for me.

I may go this week to buy a pair of Durea shoes that I tried on before. The shoes are extra depth but they look great. They have a steel shank and a removable half orthotic arch support. They seem so strong and comfortable. They look really nice with pants.

Look for a store that carries orthopedic shoes and go there to see if you can find some help. These people have saved my life.

Ginny

Ps I don't want to go on too long, but I also wear a pair of Spira tennies. They are "posted". By that I mean, the sole on the inside side (post side) of the heel is made of a more dense material than the outside side. This gives you a lot more support so you don't pronate as much. Look for tennies that have this more solid material on the inside side of the heel area. It's called "posted". Also, the "running" shoe styles are the best because the heels are flared out somewhat and that also gives more support.

I have orthodics that were made specifically for each foot. I buy my sport shoes from a local running store where the sales persons are specially trained. I have found a few other shoes that have removable insoles. Merrils for one and a couple of European manufacturers - Joseph Seibel - has nice styles - not dressy heals but very nice looking shoes for dress pants and longer skirts. I suspect we will see more shoe manufacturers with removable insole lines.

Edwena

I got a catalog from FootSmart just today. (48 pages) You can bring hem up on the internet and maybe find something there - Footsmart.com Hope it helps

I buy Clarks shoes. They are made in England. You can order them from Zappos shoes online but really you need to try shoes on before you buy them. They do have a good return policy. Some of the Clarks have pretty good arch supports and others have none.You just have to hunt to find the right ones. I have also found some occasionally at "Ross Dress for Less. I have seen a few pares at JC Penney. I do not have to wear my other arch supports when I wear these. I love them. Good Luck

I went to my foot doctor and he took an imprint of my feet and ordered special arch supports for my dress shoes ( hi- heels) and they really help.

I have rheumatoid arthitis and one foot with a fallen arch and the other fine, I pronate on the side with the fallen arch. I wore custom orthodics for 3 years and then staretd getting hip knee and ankle pain and they said it was because the orthodics were to hard, have tried softer ones they can't get them to work. I am at my wits end, I need to find and over the counter that works and so far no luck, I am about ready to have a nervous breakdown over this, I can't function, can't walk without it causeing my hip nad knee pain can't do anything, I live in washignton state and have been to 2 different docs both with different opionos, any help would be appreicated.
Becky

There's a catalog, FootSmart - they're also on the internet. The catalog seems to sell mostly casual stuff, but you can find the brands of well made shoes in there and look around for their other styles.

One word in gorgeous shoes for problem feet: DANSKO! You can buy them at less than half price on ebay, which I've done. They end up costing from $30-$60 dollars and retail for around $150-$250. They have sturdy arch supports and are extremely well made and comfortable. Best of all, they're perfect for any career. All styles, too. I've dumped most of my shoes since suffering from plantar fascilitis and wear only New Balance with inserts and these Dansko shoes in several styles.

I have found it near impossible to find dress shoes with good arch supports. Recently, I have been using a product called Therastep Arch Support. You wear it with you dress shoe and its like having a great arch support in the shoe. I got it from Therawear.com and I think the website is http://www.therawear.com/therastep_arch_support.html. I hope this helps!