Question:

This may or may not be the right place for my question; but, I’m not sure who to ask. Recently I noticed a large size difference in my feet (at least a 1/2 a shoe size difference). If I sit on the floor and place my feet side by side, there is a noticeable size difference.

While this was never a problem before, it is now becoming hard for me to find shoes to wear. If one shoe fits the smaller foot, the other shoe is too tight for the bigger foot, etc… I used to wear a size 8 shoe but now I wear an 8 on my right and a 7 1/2 on my left. While this isn’t as problematic in running/athletic shoes it is hard for me to find heels or flat dress/work shoes.

Should I see a foot doctor or can I just buy something to help my smaller foot fit into the larger size shoe to help it from falling out while walking?

Answer:

Although most people have one foot slightly larger than the other, since you state this was never a problem before, it would be best to determine why one foot is becoming smaller (or alternatively, why one is becoming larger), by consulting with your physician for a complete history and physical exam. It would also be worth noting whether there is a leg length discrepancy, in addition to your foot length discrepancy.

In the meantime, with your feet being different by at least a 1/2 size, rather than modifying a larger shoe so your smaller foot can better fit into it, unfortunately it would probably be best for you to continue buying two different size pairs of the same shoe type, wearing the larger shoe on the larger foot and the smaller on the smaller foot.

For more information:

Go to the Sports Medicine health topic.