Narrow and Extra-Narrow Athletic Shoes for Men Who Wear Orthotics

If you have narrow feet, you probably know this feeling already. You lace up a new pair of sneakers, and your heel still slides up and down as you walk. Adding a custom orthotic can make the problem worse. The orthotic raises your heel higher in the shoe, so the stiff back of the shoe holds less of it. Or the shoe that felt comfortable in the store suddenly presses on the top of your foot.

The good news is that narrow athletic shoes really do exist, and many of them have an insole that lifts out. This guide explains what to look for, how to check the fit, and which models to consider first.

Why Narrow Feet and Orthotics Are a Tricky Mix

Every shoe is built around a foot-shaped model called a last. For men, the standard width is D. A narrow foot in a D width has extra room at the sides and around the heel. As a result, the foot moves around inside the shoe instead of staying in one position.

An orthotic changes the space inside the shoe. It sits underneath your foot and takes up room, which pushes your foot upward toward the laces. It also raises your heel, so the firm back of the shoe covers less of it. That explains why a heel that barely slipped before can start sliding once the orthotic goes in.

Many men try to solve this problem by going up a half size or by pulling the laces extra tight. Neither one corrects the real issue, which is width. Poorly fitting shoes are surprisingly common. In a 2018 review of 18 studies, Buldt and Menz found that most people in those studies wore shoes that didn't match the length or width of their feet. Poor fit was linked to foot pain, corns, calluses and toe problems.

A sliding heel also creates friction. Blisters develop when the same area of skin is rubbed again and again, and damp skin creates more friction (Knapik and colleagues, 1995). That's one more reason to correct the fit instead of putting up with it.

Do You Need a Narrow Width?

A few signs suggest the answer is yes:

• Your heel lifts out of the shoe as you walk, even with the laces snug.
• The two sides of the laces almost touch when you tighten them.
• You can pinch loose material at the sides of the shoe.
• Your foot slides forward, and your toes hit the front on downhills.
• You get blisters at the back of your heel.

The most reliable way to know is to have your feet measured. Have both feet measured for length and width while you're standing, and choose the size that fits the larger foot. Many shoe stores do this with a metal measuring device called a Brannock. It also helps to shop later in the day. Feet tend to swell as the day goes on, especially after long periods of sitting. In a 2024 study, Freund and colleagues found that healthy adults' feet got bigger after a long workday spent sitting.

Width letters aren't exactly the same from brand to brand, and a B in one shoe can fit like a 2A in another. Go by how the shoe actually fits your foot, not by the letter on the box.

What Makes an Athletic Shoe Work With an Orthotic

An insole that comes out. Remove the factory insole and put your orthotic in its place. Most running and walking shoes have an insole that lifts out. Stacking an orthotic on top of the original insole usually leaves too little room.

Room over the top of your foot. Because your orthotic lifts your foot, a shoe with a low, close-fitting upper (the top part of the shoe) can press across your instep (the top of your foot). Look for a little extra depth, especially if your orthotic is on the thick side.

A firm heel cup. Squeeze the back of the shoe just above the sole, the part shoe stores call the heel counter. A firm heel counter holds both your heel and your orthotic in position. If it collapses with a light squeeze, keep looking.

An extra lace hole near the ankle. Most running shoes have one additional eyelet at the top, which you'll use for the heel lock described below.

A steady middle. Hold the shoe at both ends and twist it. It should resist twisting through the middle. Then bend it, and make sure it bends where your toes bend, not underneath your arch.

Toe room, checked with the orthotic in. Once your orthotic raises your foot, your toes sit a little higher, so make sure they don't press against the top of the shoe. Leave about a thumb's width beyond your longest toe.

Neutral or Stability? What to Pair With an Orthotic

Running shoes come in two main types. Neutral shoes have even cushioning from side to side. Stability shoes add firmer foam or guides along the inside to limit how far the foot rolls inward.

A custom orthotic already guides how your foot moves. For that reason, a common approach is to pair a firm orthotic with a neutral shoe that has a firm heel and a steady base. That way, the shoe and the orthotic aren't both trying to do the same job. Some people still feel more comfortable in a stability shoe. This is common clinical advice, not a rule that research has settled.

In fact, the research on choosing shoes by foot type is humbling. In a large trial in Marine Corps basic training, Knapik and colleagues (2010) gave 1,411 recruits either a shoe matched to their arch shape or a standard stability shoe. Injury rates were about the same in both groups. One research team has proposed letting comfort guide the final choice (Nigg and colleagues, 2015). So try each shoe with your orthotic inside, and pay attention to how your feet feel.

Narrow and Extra-Narrow Athletic Shoes to Try

No shoe company pays for placement here. No brand sponsors this article. Every shoe here is our own pick, based on the features above and on what we see in the office.

We do run a separate website, footshop.cc. Patients kept asking where to find the products we talk about in the exam room. So we built a separate site that keeps the links in one place. It includes links to Amazon and other retailers. Every affiliate link over there is disclosed where it appears. If you buy through one of those links, we earn a small commission. It costs you nothing extra. We run it as a convenience for our patients, not as a condition of care. You are free to buy any of these shoes anywhere you like, at whatever price you find, with or without our links. Our advice is the same either way.

Medical footwear is not part of that. Prescription shoes, inserts, boots and braces are never on our affiliate site. They are not a shopping link, and we will not treat them like one.

Narrow (B) Running Shoes

• Brooks Ghost: A neutral, cushioned everyday shoe, sold in men's narrow (B). The insole lifts out.
• Brooks Adrenaline GTS: A stability shoe with side guides, sold in narrow (B).
• New Balance Fresh Foam X 880: A neutral everyday trainer, sold in narrow (B).
• New Balance Fresh Foam X 860: A stability shoe with a firmer inner side, sold in narrow (B).
• ASICS GEL-KAYANO: A cushioned stability shoe. ASICS sells the narrow version as its own listing, often in just one color.

Extra-Narrow (2A)

Men's extra-narrow athletic shoes are difficult to find. When we checked, the New Balance Made in USA 990 was the only sneaker we found in men's 2A, which New Balance calls X-Narrow. It also came in B. It's an everyday sneaker with a removable insole, and plenty of people wear it for walking and work.

Walking Shoes

• New Balance 928: A leather walking shoe with a removable footbed, sold in narrow (B).
• Brooks Addiction Walker: A leather walking shoe with built-in support along the inside and a removable insole, sold in narrow (B).

Golf, Tennis and Pickleball

For golf, FootJoy sells several men's lines in narrow widths, including the Premiere Series, Pro/SL and Traditions. Check that the insole comes out before you count on it for your orthotic. For tennis and pickleball, we didn't find men's court shoes in narrow widths. Court shoes are designed for side-to-side movement, while running shoes are designed mainly for moving forward. That makes a running shoe a poor substitute on the court. If you play regularly, ask us how to make a standard-width court shoe work for you.

Some popular brands didn't offer narrow widths at all. When we checked, HOKA, Saucony and Mizuno offered only standard and wider widths on their US websites. The New Balance 1540, a shoe many orthotic wearers know by name, also came only in standard and wider widths. Narrow sizes also sell out, so if your size is unavailable, check back later or ask the store to order it.

If Your Heel Still Slips

Try a heel lock. Use the extra eyelet near your ankle. Run each lace straight up into the extra eyelet on the same side to make a small loop. Then cross each lace through the loop on the opposite side, and pull down before you tie. In a study of runners, Hagen and Hennig (2009) found that firm lacing that used every eyelet helped control the foot inside the shoe. Loose, low lacing seemed to let the foot slide.

Don't fix width with length. A shorter shoe may feel snug at the sides, but it crowds your toes. A longer one simply gives your foot more room to slide around.

Use heel grips and tongue pads carefully. A stick-on pad inside the heel, or a pad underneath the tongue, can take up extra space. However, they also take up room your orthotic may need, so try one change at a time.

Ask about the orthotic itself. If your orthotic is thick at the heel, your podiatrist may be able to adjust it or make a slimmer pair for your sneakers. Please don't trim or sand a custom orthotic yourself. Comfort is also personal. In a study of 206 military volunteers, Mündermann and colleagues (2001) found that how comfortable an insert felt depended on each person's own feet.

When to See a Podiatrist

See a podiatrist if your heel keeps blistering or your toes go numb on runs. Come in, too, if a new shoe presses on the top of your foot and the soreness doesn't settle. We should also check your orthotic if it's cracked, worn through, or no longer feels right. If you have diabetes, numb feet or poor circulation, have your feet examined before you break in new shoes. If you have high arches and foot pain, custom orthotics may help. In a 2006 trial, Burns and colleagues found that people with painful high arches improved more with custom orthotics than with fake insoles. Sometimes the right solution is a new orthotic, not a new shoe. Learn more about custom orthotics, or read our guide to choosing running shoes for your foot type.

Shopping for more than sneakers? See our guides to narrow work boots for men and narrow dress shoes for men. Buying for a woman? Read narrow athletic shoes for women.