It would be nice if one orthotic fit in all your shoes but in reality it cannot.  It can fit in a lot of similar shoes but when we look at what makes a great orthotic we see a lot of things we do to make it that way.  If we are making the orthotic for a running shoe we usually make it long to the end of the toes, we add a deep heel cup and make the orthotic a little wider (medial Shaffer) and an external heel post to get the most control we can.

    If we are making it for a regular tie shoe we usually do not make it out to the toes but either to the sulcus or right behind the metatarsal heads. (See previous blog about orthotic lengths)  We can still add a deep heel cup, external heel post to the rearfoot and a smaller medial Shaffer plate.

    If we are making this orthotic for a dress loafer or flat which are a lot smaller we usually make the length right behind the metatarsal heads (3/4 length), no medial Shaffer and no external rearfoot post.  We still can make a little deeper heel cup.

For pumps and high heels the orthotic is quite small in width to fit the shoes.  Usually we make the orthotic go to the sulcus to give some padding to the forefoot. This orthotic is usually not made to control motion but to help with forefoot problems like pain and calluses. We can add pads to help control weight bearing.

So  NO….not every orthotic can go in every shoe, but if shoes are close in size like a sports shoe and a tie oxford we can make them fit in both.  Sometimes we can make an orthotic for a men’s dress and not put the forefoot extension on it and use it in a sports shoe also.

Custom foot orthotics typically come on three lengths: 3/4 length to the ball of the foot, to the sulcus beneath the toes, and full length. Choosing between the three is personal preference.

	This is a 3/4 length  orthotic.  This shell is the functional part of the orthotic.  All 3 lengths have the same shell.  We can pad the orthotic, accommodate the heel and add a metatarsal pad but not much else. These are obviously smaller and will fit in more shoes.  The picture shows an extrinsic (exterrnal) heel post. This can be removes to fit in even more shoes.  If you are removing the padding in your shoe it leaves an area without padding which can feel a little rough.
	This is an example of an orthotic to the sulcus of the foot.  You can see it extends an inch past the shell of the orthotic.  This length enables us to add some additional padding under forefoot.  It also fits in a few more shoes.  It aslo can have an extrinsic rear foot post that can be removed. If you remove the padding in your shoe this device covers the metatarsal heads and it feels less rough.
	This is the full length orthotic.  The shell is still the same but the length exends to the end of our foot.  Most of the time we want to remove the insole from our shoe if possible.  This is the device we make for most sports activities because the shoes are larger.  We can accommodate anywhere on the foot and especially the fore foot.