Amputations: Caring for the Remaining Limb

A surprising number of Americans have feet that are two different sizes.  Some studies estimate the number is upwards of sixty-percent.  Many of these people can get away with fitting both feet into the same size shoes.  If the feet are just a half-size apart than both feet should be able to comfortably fit as long as you are careful to avoid designs with unusually narrow toe boxes or any shoe that pinches your feet.  Even feet that are a full size apart can usually compromise.  If the left foot is a seven and the right an eight, then look for that elusive seven and a half!   

Again, this requires extra attention when shoe shopping and perhaps a few more trips to the shopping mall in order to find a pair of shoes that actually provides both of your feet with the fit and support they need (and deserve!).  You may decide it is worth it to pamper your feet properly and hunt for shoes of two different sizes.  After all, feet bear the weight of our entire body, and if we fail to take care of them, more than our feet will suffer.  The body will compensate by limping, changing the way the foot strikes the ground, throwing the alignment out of whack or adopting bad posture – to name a few coping mechanism.  This, of course, leads to a host of other problems including back pain, sore knees and sore hips.  

If your feet are more than one size apart, you really have no choice but to acquire two different sizes of shoes for your two different feet.  Most department stores and shoe manufacturers are not prepared to accommodate people like you!  Don’t be surprised if they expect you to purchase two pairs of shoes in order to come up with one pair of shoes that fits.
No matter what it takes, finding shoes that properly fit each of your feet is a long term investment.  Shoes that are too tight lead to foot injuries and foot deformities such as blisters, calluses, corns, foot ulcers, bunions, hammer toe and claw toe.  

Shoes that are too loose also lead to excess chafing on your feet and the development of blisters, calluses, corns, etc.  Some of these sore spots on your foot are minor annoyances.  Corns and calluses, for example, will go away with time if you dress them in the proper shoes.  Other deformities are longer lasting.  Hammertoe, for example, leads to the second joint in the second, third or fourth toe becoming permanently bent so that it looks like a hammer.