Orthotics and Tennis

July 4, 2008 9:41 AM

Orthotics and tennis shoes?

I am a novice tennis player. I have sesamoiditis due in part to high arches. To help with this, I wear orthotics .

My problem is that they do not want to stay put in my tennis shoe. They are stable laterally, so they do not slide side-to-side, but they slide forward. My orthotics are only partly rigid plastic, so the front part, which is a softer material, smushes against the front of the shoe and the orthotic slides forward. I had a pair of Asics that had this problem, so I switched to Reeboks. When I tried them on in the store, no problem. It was not until after I spent an hour or so running around on the court that I noticed they did not want to stay put.

I would especially appreciate recommendations from other folks out there that have foot problems and wear their orthotics while playing tennis.

How do I make them stay in place during play? Is there a way to make them stay put, like some kind of double-sided tape? Or are there shoes I can buy that will work better with orthotics? Or should I just give up wearing them during games and practice?

posted by charlesv to sports, hobbies, & recreation (4 comments total)

Toupee tape might be just what you need.

Apparently beauty queens have been using it to secure dress straps and cloth to their bodies forever. I bought it for a strappy dress once, and have found it's good at holding in place a multitude of other materials.

I bought it at a local wig shop, so until today I had no need to know that toupeetape.com even existed. So thanks!
posted by nadise at 10:09 AM on July 4, 2008

My husband plays lots of sports, specifically tennis. He says that totally rigid plastic orthotics are the way to go. He wears New Balance shoes with his orthotics and rotates them every day. He also uses an ankle board to condition his feet.
posted by gnat at 10:44 AM on July 4, 2008

gnat:
What do you mean "he rotates them every day?" Also, what do you mean by "totally rigid?" Mine have the rigid plastic plus a foam layer over it, which is longer than the plastic. Are his orthotics totally plastic that run the length of his foot?
posted by charlesv at 1:21 PM on July 4, 2008

He wears different shoes every day. His orthotics are a 3/4 length insert that are rigid plastic, with no foam layer over them. He plays tennis around 3-4 times a week.
Have you tried thicker socks?
posted by gnat at 5:38 PM on July 4, 2008