Orthotics to Help Strengthen and Straighten Kids’ Ankles – The Best Alternative to Custom Orthotics!

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated and revised for accuracy on February 2022 and reflects an up-to-date selection of orthotics to help strengthen and straighten kids’ ankles.

Do you have a child that has been diagnosed with rolled ankles? Has your child been complaining about heel pain? There is a particular type of orthotic that has proven to be the most effective one when it comes to strengthen and straighten kids’ ankles. This orthotic will also help improve your child’s overall posture by preventing your kids’ feet from collapsing and turning inwards.

An orthotic is a shoe insert that is designed to provide cushioning, support, and stability, and to relieve pressure areas of the foot. Orthotics can also be referred to as shoe inserts, orthoses, or orthotic insoles.

My Experience Fitting Children’s Shoes and Orthotics

I have been fitting children’s shoes and orthotics for the last 10 years at a specialized children’s shoe store that focuses in helping children with foot and leg problems as well as children with “complicated” foot shapes. Over the years I became familiar with the best orthotics for kids with rolled ankles.

Most parents assume that overpronation occurs from having flat feet, but overpronation can also occur from having rolled ankles. Below are some examples of children with rolled ankles:

If your child has been diagnosed with rolled ankles and has been experiencing ankle and heel pain, the correct pair of orthotics will help significantly reduce or fully eliminate your child’s heel pain. In addition, the correct type of orthotic will also help improve your child’s overall posture. Let me prove it to you!

What a Difference the Correct Type of Orthotics and Shoes Can Make!

Let’s take a look at a picture of a child with rolled ankles wearing two different pairs of shoes with the same orthotic fitted inside them. Notice how straight the child’s feet look when wearing the orthotic in a pair of supportive shoes:

Before Image

Now let’s take a look at the same child wearing the same orthotic but in a pair of shoes that are too flimsy and unsupportive. Do you notice how the child’s feet are still collapsing and rolling inwards?

After Image

The main difference between being flat-footed and having rolled ankles is that an orthotic won’t mold your child’s arch, but an orthotic will be able to straighten and strengthen your kids’ ankles.

Orthotics and shoes work hand to hand when treating your children’s foot conditions.

Rolled ankles can lead your children to overpronate and put pressure on parts of their bodies where they are not supposed to. The orthotic I recommend the most for a child with rolled ankles comes with a deep heel cup that will cushion, support, protect and straighten your kids’ ankles.

Before I show the best orthotic to help treat and correct your child’s rolled ankles, I want to show you 3 important features that this orthotic provides.

✅ 30mm heel cup helps control heel alignment, lower leg alignment, and supports the arch.

✅ Medial and lateral flanges help keep the foot aligned in the orthotic. 

✅ Metatarsal support to help relieve and prevent ball of the foot pain.

What Makes the Orthotic I Recommend Effective Rolled Ankles?

The orthotic that I recommend is designed to correct the misalignment caused by flat feet and rolled ankles. Regular insoles are specifically designed to provide cushioning and shock absorption, but they won’t help prevent and correct your child’s rolled ankles.

The orthotic I recommend provides a deep cup that will cushion, strengthen, and straighten your kids’ ankles. This deep heel cup will also enhance your child’s stability:

Now that you know what features this orthotic provides, you are ready to take a look at the best orthotic that helps strengthen and straighten your kids’ ankles.

Best Orthotics to Help Strengthen and Straighten Kids’ Ankles

littleSTEPS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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You won’t have to remove the original insoles of your child’s shoes before placing this orthotic inside the shoes.

Take a look at the chart below to figure out what size to order based on your child’s shoe size:

Feel free to reach out to me if you are unsure about what orthotic size to order for your child: fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

What a Difference This Orthotic Can Make!

Let’s take a look at what a difference an orthotic can make in improving your child’s overall posture. Below is an image of a child with a low arch and rolled ankles, do you notice how her feet are collapsing and turning inwards?

Now let’s take a look at an image of the same child standing in a pair of orthotics. Do you notice how much straighter the feet look?

One common complaint parents have about this orthotic style is how it slides forward inside certain shoe styles. This is the reason why I always recommend shoes with shoelaces over velcro closure, especially when the child needs an orthotic to be fitted inside the shoes.

Orthotics will only work in certain types of shoes, that is the reason why I also provide a selection of the best shoes for orthotics.

Best Shoes for Orthotics – Extra Deep, Rounder Toe-Boxes and Supportive!

Orthotics make a tremendous difference in the way that your child walks and runs, as long as the orthotics are fitted properly inside your kids’ shoes.

In addition to providing good ankle support, the orthotic must also be fitted in the correct pair of shoes. This means that the shoes must come with a firm heel counter. The heel counter is the back part of the shoes that provides ankle support, and the firmer it is, the better. Take a look at the picture below to identify where the heel counter of the shoe is located:

The shoes and the orthotics work together in preventing and helping treat your child’s foot conditions. This means that if you provide your child with a pair of orthotics that provide good support but the shoes are too flimsy and unsupportive, your child won’t get any of the benefits that the orthotics have to offer and vice versa.

Orthotics take a lot of space inside the shoes, which means that sometimes you might have to provide your child with a pair of wider shoes to accommodate the orthotic inside the shoes.

In addition to being supportive, these are 2 key features that the shoes must provide to be able to accommodate the orthotics:

✅ Extra Depth: This feature allows the orthotics to sit deeply inside your kids’ shoes, which helps prevent your kids from getting the impression that their feet are coming out of the shoes. Let me show you the difference between a deep pair of shoes and one that is shallow. For better visualization purposes, there is an orthotic fitted in both of the shoes below. Do you notice how the orthotic is sitting much deeper in the shoe on the right image compared to the shoe in the left image?

✅ Round Toe-Box: This feature helps prevent the orthotic from poking a hole in the front part of the shoes.

I always recommend shoes that come with shoelaces instead of velcro closure, as shoelaces will provide better support to your child’s feet, in particular around your child’s ankles. Disclosure: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

The Best Shoes for Orthotics ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Below you can find a selection of the best shoes for orthotics that are available in medium (M), wide (W), and extra wide (XW). 

Unsure About What Shoe Size You Should Order?

In each of the descriptions of the shoes I indicate whether you need to order a half a size or a whole size bigger than your child’s foot size to provide the correct amount of growing room.

I strongly suggest that you apply the shoe lacing technique below in order to prevent heel slippage and allow your child to get the full benefits of the orthotics:

How to Tie Shoes with Orthotics – Stop Heel Slippage

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

If none of these shoes are available in your child’s shoe size or if you need the shoes to be made of a specific color don’t hesitate to email me at:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

When children experience foot or leg pain, most parents make the common mistake of not addressing the issue and they have their children tested for several other conditions that are unrelated to the shoes that they are wearing.

Before you start having your children tested for other conditions, start by taking a look at their feet and provide them with a pair of orthotics and supportive shoes. You will notice what a tremendous difference they make!

Please note that custom orthotics can range anywhere from $250 to $500. Even families with good insurance have reported that custom orthotics are usually not covered.

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