When a Shoe Needs an Outsole Lift: Understanding Larger Corrections
Step Rite Shoe Lifts
Corrections over a half inch are built into the outsole so the whole foot is raised. Lifts over three quarters of an inch are honeycombed to stay light. Taller lifts get a rounded toe and, where the clinician asks, a widened base for stability.
What it looks like
A one-inch lift on a walking shoe reads as a slightly thicker sole. A two-inch lift is visible and still looks like a shoe, because the profile follows the original sole and the color matches. Above that, the lift is shaped with a wider base and a longer toe rocker so the shoe stays stable and rolls.
Honeycombing
Material is removed inside the lift in a honeycomb pattern. The lift keeps its shape and strength and loses weight, so a tall lift is comfortable to walk in all day.
Shoes that take tall lifts well
A flat, deep midsole and a firm heel counter. The New Balance 1540 and 928, the Brooks Addiction, and most Propet walking shoes all take two inches cleanly.
Large differences
A parent wrote to us about a son whose cancer surgery left one leg about six inches shorter. Corrections that size are built in stages with the physical therapist, with stabilizers and honeycombing, and the lab talks through each step before building.
