Mission Impossible: Orthoses For Ballet Flats

I have received several questions about the best orthotics for ballet flats. There currently is a very popular style of women’s dress shoes based on ballet shoes. They are very flexible and have little or no heel height. Ballet flats tend to be very shallow.  

The short answer is that it is nearly impossible to fit an orthosis of any kind into a ballet flat and you are setting yourself and your patient up for failure if you give her the impression that any orthosis will fit in her ballet flats. We can make orthoses to fit many, maybe most, women's dress shoes but ballet flats are simply too shallow to accept an orthosis.  

Please be sure you are providing your patients with realistic expectations of what orthotic can fit into their shoes. As far as orthotics in ballet flats go, just say no.   

Editor’s note: This blog was first published at https://prolaborthotics.com/Blog/tabid/90/EntryID/158/Default.aspx and has been adapted with permission from Lawrence Huppin, DPM, and ProLab Orthotics. For more information, visit www.prolaborthotics.com .