An orthopedic apparatus and footwear for distributing weight evenly so as to relieve pressure and discomfort from the ball, arch and heel region of the wearer's foot. This is accomplished by first, second, fourth and fifth embodiments in which two substantially parallel plates are mounted between an inner sole and an outer sole. The parallel plates are spaced apart by a spacer which is located at a point or region of attachment between the two plates in the arch region of the footwear. The lower plate is rigid and the upper plate is flexible. A layer of easily deformable foam material is provided between the two plates. In the first embodiment, sole spacers are provided in the toe region of the footwear. As a result of the attachment configuration, the plates are cantilever mounted both extending forward and rearward from the arch region. In operation, the flexing of the forward cantilever portion of the flexible plate relative to the rigid plate cushions the ball region and redistributes weight rearward from the ball of the foot and the flexing of the rearward cantilever portion of the flexible plate relative to the rigid plate cushions the heel region and redistributes weight forward from the heel of the foot. A third embodiment also uses a flexible plate and a rigid plate which are attached at an acute angle in the arch region and extend forward toward the ball region. A wedge is provided between the two plates. The flexing of the flexible plate relative to the rigid plate cushions the ball region and redistributes weight rearward from the ball of the foot. The first, second, fourth and fifth embodiments can be modified as in the third embodiment to provide parallel plates which only extend forward from the arch region, with spacers provided in the rearward region behind the arch. The fourth and fifth embodiments provide a toe spacer structure in the toe region of the orthopedic apparatus and footwear.