Trail runners that work well with orthotics

Can innov8's not take orthotics? I was looking at a pair of Innov8 Flyroc 345 for wet weather – will they not take a footbed/orthotic?

I started a recent thread on wide forefoot shoes that accept orthotics – you should have a look.

Find yourself a good sports podiatrist who is also good at shoe fitting, or find a good pedorthist to work with you. Makes all the difference. Many podiatrists are not active enough or trained enough to work with active people.

I've been wearing custom orthotics for 25 years. They fit in any shoe or boot. Sometimes you have to replace the styrofoam insoles with something flatter (like Spenco) but that's it. The orthotics are hard plastic and run and 3/4 of the length of my foot.

>>The orthotics are hard plastic and run and 3/4 of the length of my foot.

But the hallmark feature of Inov-8s are their super-flexible soles, right? Replacing that with a stiff piece of plastic seems kind of like it would defeat the purpose.

We'll see I suppose.

Some shoes don't take orthotics because the insole is not removable, or it's removable but has an odd design, like a depression in the middle which fits in the sole like a lock and key (Timberland did this on a pair of casual shoes).

Also if the shoe has a removable insole you want to make sure the footbed/orthotic you're putting in is not so much thicker that it's hard to fit your foot in the shoe.

Besides shoes people recommend here, you can also check out the American Sports Podiatry Assoc website for recommended shoes.

I've been wearing custom orthotics for nearly 20 years. I've put them in every pair of shoes I've owned/worn. Sometimes I leave the original foam footbed in place, sometimes I pull it out. But they always work in the shoes; just in my personal experience, it seems like if a shoe is too low-volume with orthotics, it's too low-volume without them, too. As to flexy shoe w/orth., yup, orthotic will stiffen it up a bit. But they generally stop where the toes start, anyway; not so much underfoot…

I wear superfeet in my terroc 330s and have been quite happy with the results.

I also use superfeet (blues) in my 330's. They don't seem to really affect the "biomechanics" of the shoe since the terrocs actually are stiff except for the forefoot area that is very flexible. The stiff part of the superfeet is not in the flexible area of the shoe, if that makes any sense.

Huh. Well that's encouraging. I assumed I was going to need a deeper shoe in order to accomodate the orthotics.

We'll see I suppose. It's all speculation until I get them.

I'll be very pleased if I can continue to wear my Inov-8s though.

I use black superfeet in my vasque blurs and they work fine. So, I tried them in my inov-8s. I ended up with almost immediate knee and hip pain. Then I tried the blue superfeet–same thing. I put the original insoles back in the innov-8s and they quickly became my favorite shoes. This is from a guy who "over pronates" a bunch and supposedly needs arch support. I used to get ankle pain after long hikes and don't anymore. I think I've become a believer in the whole barefoot hiking/ minimal support shoe thing.

I have orthodics too, though maybe not in the same necessary capacity. I have fitted my orthodics in the Montrail Streak shoes. These seem to be roomy in the toe box for me, and has enough mesh to accommodate the orthodic well. However, I'm not too keen on using my orthodics on the trail, with all the dirt and mud. Instead, I use the green Superfeet to suffice on the trail. I've been happy since.

Hi David,
I should add that the superfeet insoles Replace the standard insole in the shoe, so I'm not sure what the orthotic will be like if you are adding it to the existing insole.

I've used green Superfeet (which are btw now also available in a wide last size as are other Superfeet models), Spenco as well as some custom orthotics, and as I mentioned earlier, different shoes will accommodate the same footbed/orthotic differently, depending on how much room they have inside, whether the heel is much higher than the front of the shoe, etc. You really have to try whichever insole you use, Superfeet, other off-the-shelf or custom orthotic with any pair of shoes you are considering. Just put them in and walk around. Superfeet as well as many other orthotics are designed to replace your insole, not sit on top of it.

Also a good Pedorthist can make further modifications to your shoes to better accommodate a given off-the-shelf or custom orthotic.

Good luck. I'm in the market myself for a new trail shoe and going to try a bunch on a list I've put together.

Ive been using innov8 315's for 3 years with custom orthotics.
Before I started using them I called Innov8 and asked them if it would work. The staffer said that as long as I was backpacking there would not be a problem and that it would probably work for running also. I am on my 2nd pair and still love them.

Having a custom orthotics will be a great idea on help ease issues that you are experiencing, There are some orthotics that really gives the specific solutions on your problems. You can try checking some of this orthotics in this website : http://www.webstershoes.co.uk

Webstershoes

You contribution to this topic is appreciated, but go lightly on the advertising please.

Cheers
Roger Caffin
Online Community Monitor
Backpacking Light

Each orthotic is built up to whatever size/height is needed to correct your particular problems, but there is some maximum size that may not fully correct a severe problem.

Stating that an orthotic fits well in certain shoes is accurate only on a case by case basis.

That's what has worked for me. I've messed around with lots of different shoes with my orthotics, and the brand that's worked for me has been Asics. I can leave the insoles in and put the orthotics on top and they feel great. With many other shoes I've had to take the insoles out which has always been less comfortable. Not so with Asics. That was a major discovery for me.

With any footwear issues, we each have to find what works for us personally and not trust internet opinions, but I highly recommend trying Asics before you commit to another brand.

…

I have full length orthotics and remove the factory insoles in my shoes to use them. I did find that a pair of Salomon shoes are too narrow at the bottom to use any insoles other than the factory. My custom insoles don't look much different than Superfeet.

Straight answer: they fit fine in my New Balance 907 and 955 shoes.

Make your health professionals work for you, just like any other consumer service. There are plenty of good sports medicine people who deal with this sort of stuff all the time.

The PAL carbon fiber prescription orthotics are well made, have a full reinforced blue Spenco footbed, and are a little more flexible than the hard plastic orthotics used by many podiatrists. Don't know if they are flexible enough for trail running, but they work great for me backpacking with Keen Targhee mids.