What Shoes Are Best for High Arches?

What high arches do to your feet

A high arch (the medical term is pes cavus) is a foot whose arch sits well off the ground and doesn't flatten much when you stand or land. That changes how the foot handles load:

• Pressure concentrates on the heel and the ball of the foot, because the middle of the foot barely touches down. That's why high arches often come with heel pain, ball-of-foot pain and calluses.
• Shock absorption is reduced. A flatter arch flexes and absorbs impact; a high, rigid arch passes more of it up the leg.
• Many high-arched feet roll outward (sometimes called supination or underpronation), which can make ankles feel unsteady.
• The top of the foot is often high too (a high instep), so shoes can press across the laces.

So the job of a shoe is to cushion, fill the arch, leave room on top, and keep the heel steady.

What to look for in shoes for high arches

• A neutral, well-cushioned shoe. Generous cushioning under the heel and the ball of the foot, where a high arch lands. Most high-arched feet don't need the anti-rolling-in features of a stability shoe.
• Arch support that fills the gap. A contoured footbed or insole that meets your arch spreads your weight across the whole foot instead of two points.
• Room over the instep. Enough depth and volume across the top of the foot, with laces you can loosen there.
• A firm, stable heel counter. It holds the heel steady, which helps if your ankles tend to roll outward.
• A removable insole, so you can use a high-arch insole.
• The right size. The ball of your foot should sit at the widest part of the shoe, where it bends. See how shoes should fit.

Insoles and arch support for high arches

For many people with high arches, the insole matters as much as the shoe. Most shoes come with a fairly flat insole that leaves a gap under a high arch.

• Choose a high-arch insole. Many brands make insoles in low, medium and high arch heights. The arch should meet your foot without pushing up into it uncomfortably.
• Cushioning matters too. A high arch needs shock absorption under the heel and forefoot, not only arch height.
• Take out the shoe's own insole first, and try shoes on with the insole you'll wear, especially if you have a high instep: an insole raises your foot in the shoe.
• Ease in. If you've never worn arch support, wear it for a few hours at first and build up over a week or two.

Our free 3D foot scan measures your arch height and shows where you're loading your feet, which makes choosing an insole much less of a guess. High-arch insoles we carry include the Powerstep Pinnacle High and the Currex RunPro High.

Start here: Insoles & orthotics

Room on top: high insteps and lacing

If shoes press across the top of your foot, the problem is usually volume, not length or width. Going up a size won't fix it; it just moves the shoe's bend away from your foot's.

• Look for shoes with more depth over the instep, and adjustable laces or straps.
• Try window lacing. Skip the pair of eyelets over the highest, tender spot, so the laces don't cross there, and keep them snug above it to hold your heel.
• Loosen the laces over the instep and lock the heel with the top eyelets instead.
• Watch the tongue. A padded tongue spreads lace pressure; a thin one can dig in.

Shoes to avoid with high arches

• Motion-control shoes built for flat feet. Their firm support under the inner arch is designed to stop a foot rolling inward, which most high-arched feet don't do.
• Flat, unsupportive shoes like ballet flats and flip-flops, which leave the arch unsupported and give little cushioning.
• Barefoot and minimal shoes, which offer little cushioning under the heel and ball of the foot.
• Shoes that are tight across the top of the foot, even if the length is right.
• Worn-out shoes. Once the cushioning packs down, a high arch has nothing to soften the landing.

Shoes for high arches by situation

Running shoes

Most runners with high arches do best in a neutral, well-cushioned running shoe, with a high-arch insole if the shoe's own one leaves a gap. Brooks, HOKA, New Balance, ASICS and Saucony all make neutral cushioned models. When you try running shoes on our in-store treadmill, a fitter watches your gait to check whether you need anything more.

Start here: Women's neutral cushion · Men's neutral cushion

Walking and everyday shoes

The same rules apply: cushioning, a removable insole for arch support, room on top and a steady heel.

Start here: Women's walking · Men's walking

Sandals

Choose a contoured footbed with real arch support over a flat sole. Vionic builds arch support into its sandals, and Birkenstock footbeds are contoured under the arch. Adjustable straps help with a high instep.

Start here: Women's sandals · Men's sandals

Dress and work shoes

Look for a low heel, a removable footbed with room for a slim arch-support insole, and laces, straps or a stretch panel over the instep.

Start here: Women's dress & professional · Men's dress & professional

How we fit shoes for high arches

Our free 3D foot scan measures your arch height and shows how you load your feet, and we measure both feet on a Brannock device, including the heel-to-ball length we start from. Then we try neutral, cushioned options side by side, with and without a high-arch insole, check the fit over your instep, and you walk in them, on our in-store treadmill if you like, where a fitter watches your gait.

If your podiatrist or doctor has written a prescription, the Certified Pedorthist (CPed) on our staff can fill most foot-related prescriptions. You pay the store directly. We don't bill insurance or Medicare, and we accept HSA and FSA cards.

What we won't do is hand you a single "best shoe for high arches." The right one depends on your arch, your instep and what you need the shoe for. Here's why →

When to see a podiatrist

Many people with high arches do well with the right shoes and insoles. See a podiatrist or your doctor if:

• Your arches seem to be getting higher, or your foot shape is changing
• You sprain or roll your ankles often
• You have heel or ball-of-foot pain that continues after changing shoes and insoles
• Your toes are starting to curl (claw or hammertoes), or calluses keep coming back
• You have numbness, tingling or weakness in your feet

If you're given custom orthotics, bring them in. We'll fit shoes that work with them.