Running Shoes for Men That Fit Orthotics: Wide Feet, Narrow Feet, Flat Feet, High Arches and Weak Ankles

This is not another guide to picking a running shoe by your arch. We wrote that one already, and you can read it here. This one is for the man who already wears a custom orthotic and keeps running into the same problem. The shoe that felt fine in the store crowds his toes once the device is in. Or his heel lifts out of the back with every stride. Or the shoe's own arch fights the orthotic, and his foot ends up sitting on a ridge. The fix is a shoe with the right depth, the right width and a flat footbed. This guide covers what that means. It covers what the research says, so you do not double up on features you do not need. And it lists which men's models come in real widths.

We cover what an orthotic needs from a running shoe. We cover the neutral-versus-stability question when a device is already doing the work. We cover cushioning, drop and lacing, with the research behind each. Then we match a shoe to wide feet, narrow feet, flat feet, high arches and ankles that give way. Then we list the men's models we checked for widths. We have a separate guide for women, one for varsity boys, and a guide to heel-to-toe drop.

What an Orthotic Needs From a Running Shoe

Running shoes are the friendliest shoes in sport for a custom orthotic. They are deep, the insole comes out on nearly every model, and several brands sell real widths. The trouble is this. The features that make a shoe feel good in the store can work against the device. Look for these things:

• A removable insole. Nearly every running shoe has one, though not one maker we checked says so on its product page. Pull it out before you buy. Your orthotic replaces it.
• Depth at the heel. With the factory insole out and your orthotic in, your heel should sit inside the counter. It should not ride up on top of the device. A shoe with a tall built-in heel wedge can lift you out.
• A flat footbed. A molded arch or a firm medial post under the midsole fights your orthotic. Your device already has the arch and the correction it needs.
• Width where you need it. An orthotic adds volume at the arch and heel. Many men go up one width, not one length. A longer shoe moves the flex point behind your toes.
• A firm heel counter. Squeeze the back of the shoe. It should hold its shape so the device and your heel stay put.
• A straight, roomy toe box. Your toes should spread on push-off. A shoe that tapers to a point will not get better with miles.

Bring your orthotics and your running socks when you try shoes on. Jog in the store. If your heel lifts or your toes touch the front, it is the wrong shoe, whatever the label says.

Neutral or Stability When You Already Wear an Orthotic?

Most men who wear a custom orthotic do better in a neutral running shoe. The device provides the control. A stability shoe adds a second layer of control under it. The two can stack into more correction than your foot wants. We see that as pain along the outside of the foot or the knee. There are exceptions, which is why the answer is to test, not to assume.

The research backs the simpler approach. Knapik and colleagues (2010) randomized Marine Corps recruits to one of two plans. One group got running shoes matched to arch height; the other got a stability shoe for everyone. Injury rates were about the same in both groups in that trial. Knapik and colleagues (2014) summarized three such military trials and reached the same conclusion. Nielsen and colleagues (2014) followed 927 novice runners for a year in a neutral shoe. Foot posture, from highly flat to highly arched, did not predict injury in that study. So the old rule of matching a shoe to your arch type has not held up.

What may matter more is how the foot actually loads while running. Brund and colleagues (2017) measured pressure under the shoe in 79 male recreational runners and followed them for a year. In that study, runners with more pressure on the inside of the shoe had more Achilles, plantar fascia and shin injuries. That is the kind of loading a custom orthotic is built to change. It is one reason we prefer to put the correction in the device and keep the shoe neutral.

Cushioning and Drop: Do Not Double Up

Cushioning helps, within limits. Malisoux and colleagues (2020) randomized 848 recreational runners to soft or hard versions of the same shoe. Runners in the harder shoe had a higher injury risk in that trial. The protective effect of the softer shoe was clearest in lighter runners. For a heavier man, the cushioning difference mattered less. A very tall, very soft midsole is another matter. Pollard and colleagues (2018) tested maximal shoes against neutral shoes in fifteen runners. The maximal shoe produced higher loading rates and more inward rolling of the foot in that study. An orthotic sitting on top of a tall, soft platform is also farther from the ground. That can make the shoe feel tippy. We usually steer orthotic wearers toward moderate cushioning on a firm base.

Drop is the height difference between the heel and the forefoot. Malisoux and colleagues (2016) randomized 553 runners to high, medium or zero-drop versions of the same shoe. Overall injury risk did not differ in that trial. Occasional runners had fewer injuries in the lower-drop shoes, while regular runners had more. Your orthotic also changes the effective drop a little. Most devices are thicker at the heel than at the forefoot. If you change drop and add a device in the same month, you will not know which one your calf is complaining about. Change one thing at a time. Minimalist shoes are a separate question. Ryan and colleagues (2014) randomized 103 runners to neutral, partial-minimalist or full-minimalist shoes. The program lasted twelve weeks. The minimalist groups had more injuries and more shin and calf pain in that trial. A minimalist shoe also has no room for an orthotic.

Lacing and Fit Matter More Than Brand

Hagen and Hennig (2009) tested six lacing patterns in twenty experienced runners. Lacing through all seven eyelets, pulled firm, produced lower loading rates and slower inward rolling. It also lowered peak pressure under the heel compared with the usual six-eyelet pattern. Comfort was the same. That top eyelet is the heel-lock loop. It is the easiest thing you can do to keep an orthotic and a heel where they belong.

Buldt and Menz (2018) reviewed the research on shoe fit. In that review, between 63 and 72 percent of people wore shoes that did not match the length or width of their feet. Poor fit was linked to foot pain and toe problems. Menz and Morris (2005) linked shoes narrower than the foot to corns, bunions and foot pain. Nigg and colleagues (2015) proposed that the most comfortable shoe is usually the right one, because comfort lets your body move the way it prefers. With an orthotic in, comfort means the device sits flat, the heel stays down and the toes spread. Trust that over any label.

Is the orthotic itself worth the trouble? Bonanno and colleagues (2017) pooled randomized trials of foot orthoses for injury prevention, mostly in military recruits. In that review, contoured orthoses lowered the risk of overall injuries and stress fractures, with a relative risk of 0.72 for all injuries. Flat shock-absorbing insoles did not. Those were not trials in recreational runners, so this is supporting evidence, not proof.

Match the Shoe to Your Foot

Wide Feet

Running is the one sport where a wide foot is well served. Brooks sells its men's line in narrow, medium, wide and extra-wide. Its own width page says the wide versions make room for orthotics. New Balance sells several neutral and cushioned models in standard, 2E and 4E. ASICS sells its flagship stability shoe in standard, 2E and 4E. Hoka sells its everyday neutral shoe in standard, 2E and 4E. Saucony and Altra each offer a 2E on a popular model. If your foot spills over the edge of the insole, go up a width, not a length.

Narrow Feet

Fewer brands make a true narrow. Brooks sells several of its men's models in a B width, and New Balance sells its everyday neutral shoe in a B. For everything else, use the heel-lock loop and add a tongue pad if the midfoot is loose. Choose a model that reviewers describe as snug. Our guide to narrow athletic shoes that fit orthotics covers the lacing in detail.

Flat Feet or Feet That Roll In

If you wear an orthotic for a flat foot, start with a neutral shoe with a flat footbed and a firm heel counter. Let the device do the work. The trials above found no benefit from assigning shoes by arch type. Neal and colleagues (2014) reviewed prospective studies. A rolled-in foot posture was a risk factor for shin pain, though the effect was small. Our flat-feet shoe guide goes deeper.

High Arches

A high, stiff arch absorbs shock poorly and loads the outside of the foot. Williams and colleagues (2001) compared high-arched and low-arched runners. The high-arched group reported more ankle injuries, more bone-related injuries and more injuries on the outer side. A cushioned neutral shoe with a wide base helps, and so does a device with a cushioned top cover. For a painful high arch, Burns and colleagues (2006) showed in a randomized trial that custom orthoses reduced foot pain.

Unstable Ankles

Road running is kinder to a loose ankle than court sports, but trails and curbs are not. Gribble and colleagues (2016) reviewed the literature for the International Ankle Consortium. Sprains recur often, and a large share of people develop chronic ankle instability. Choose a shoe with a wide, flat base and a firm heel counter. Keep the stack height moderate, and do your balance work. Read our guides on ankle sprains and strengthening after a sprain.

Heel Pain and Plantar Fasciitis

A running shoe with a firm counter, moderate cushioning under the heel and your orthotic is the usual starting point. Whittaker and colleagues (2018) reviewed trials of foot orthoses for plantar heel pain and found a modest benefit in the medium term. Build mileage slowly and warm up your calves. If the pain lingers, read our guide to heel pain that won't go away.

Stiff or Painful Big Toe

Every stride bends the big toe at push-off. A shoe with a stiffer forefoot and a rocker shape bends for you, and a rigid insert under the orthotic can help. Menz and colleagues (2016) ran a randomized trial in people with arthritis of the big-toe joint. Rocker-sole shoes and orthoses eased pain by a similar amount. Several cushioned running shoes now have a pronounced rocker. Read more about a stiff big toe.

Diabetes or Numb Feet

An international guideline on preventing foot ulcers in diabetes (Bus and colleagues, 2024) is clear. People at risk should wear properly fitting shoes at all times. A seam over a toe or a sock that bunches at mile three can open skin you cannot feel. See us before you buy, and check your feet after every run. Our daily foot checklist is a good habit.

Jogging After Fifty

Many of the men we fit for running orthotics are joggers in their fifties, sixties and seventies, not racers. The rules change a little. Menant and colleagues (2008) reviewed footwear for older people at risk of falls and recommended a low heel and a firm, slip-resistant sole. Kim and Hegazy (2024) added a proper fit, secure fastening and a supportive collar in their review. For a jogger, that argues against the tallest, softest shoe on the wall. That holds even if it feels like a cloud in the store. A moderate stack on a wide base is steadier on a curb or a trail edge. Rotate two pairs if you can. Malisoux and colleagues (2015) followed 264 recreational runners for 22 weeks. Those who ran in more than one pair of shoes had a lower injury risk in that study. And replace shoes on schedule, not on looks. Our fall-prevention guide has more.

Men's Running 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.

Wide and Extra-Wide, Neutral

• Brooks Ghost: the everyday neutral shoe, sold in narrow, medium, wide and extra-wide. A flat footbed and a firm counter. The first shoe we suggest for most orthotic wearers.
• Brooks Glycerin and Brooks Ghost Max: softer and taller than the Ghost, sold in medium, wide and extra-wide. Good for a heavier man who wants more cushion, with the stack-height caveat above.
• New Balance 880: a neutral daily trainer sold in narrow, standard, 2E and 4E. Deep enough for a full-length device.
• New Balance 1080 and New Balance More: the brand's cushioned neutral shoes, each sold in standard, 2E and 4E. Reviewers say the 1080 runs a bit narrow, so try the 2E first.
• Hoka Clifton: a cushioned, rockered neutral shoe sold in standard, 2E and 4E. The rocker helps a stiff big toe.
• Altra Torin: a zero-drop neutral shoe with a roomy toe box, sold in standard and 2E. The widest forefoot on this list, but zero drop is a change to make slowly.

Wide and Extra-Wide, Stability

• Brooks Adrenaline GTS and Brooks Addiction GTS: sold in narrow, medium, wide and extra-wide. The Addiction is the firmer, roomier of the two. Test your orthotic against the built-in guidance before you commit.
• Brooks Beast GTS: the brand's most supportive men's shoe, in medium, wide and extra-wide. For a big man whose device alone is not enough.
• ASICS Gel-Kayano: the flagship stability shoe, sold in standard, 2E and 4E.
• Hoka Gaviota: a cushioned stability shoe in standard and 2E.
• Saucony Guide: an everyday stability shoe in standard and 2E.

Narrow Feet

• Brooks Ghost, Brooks Adrenaline GTS and Brooks Addiction GTS in B width.
• New Balance 880 in B width.

For every shoe on this page, lift the insole in the store. If it comes out cleanly and your orthotic sits flat without a ridge under the arch, you are in business.

Rotating and Replacing

Running shoes wear out from the inside, and the cushioning goes before the upper looks old. Cook and colleagues (1985) tested shoes on a machine that simulated heel strikes. Shoes kept roughly two-thirds of their shock absorption after 100 to 150 miles in that study. In the same study they kept less than 60 percent between 250 and 500 miles, with no difference by price. Wang and colleagues (2012) ran eight men 500 kilometers in shoes with different midsole foams and found the common foam had lost cushioning by the end. Your orthotic does not replace the midsole. When the shoe feels flat, it is done. The same goes when the outsole is worn through under the heel or the ball of the foot. Rotating two pairs spreads the wear. As the study above found, it was also linked to fewer injuries. Our guide to worn-out shoes shows what to look for.

When to See a Podiatrist

See a podiatrist if heel pain greets you the morning after a run. Come in if the ball of your foot burns by the third mile. Come in if a big toe is stiff and sore at push-off, or if an ankle keeps giving way on uneven ground. Come in, too, if a new shoe causes pain that does not settle after a few short runs. If you already wear orthotics and they fight your running shoe, bring both. We can adjust the device, lower its profile or change the top cover for running. Our page on custom orthotics explains how we make them, and our guide on how custom orthotics work covers the rest.

For more on shoes, read our guides to choosing running shoes by foot type, everyday athletic shoes for men and foot care for runners. If you are shopping for a woman in your life, see our running shoe guide for women.