Why are the two feet different in size?

The left half and right half of the human body are often mirror images of each other. However, this is not true for the feet, according to Live Science. “No one person’s feet are exactly the same. Our bodies are symmetrical in some ways, but not always,” says Dr. Corrine Renne, a podiatrist at New York Foot and Ankle Center. said.

A 1983 study of 4,000 women and 2,800 men in the US found that none of them had feet that were exactly the same in shape or size. Reinforcing this research is a 2018 study from SATRA Bulletin, a trade publication specializing in footwear and leather goods. After analyzing 2,890 people in the UK, the study found that 19% had feet with a difference in length of about 4 mm, which is half the shoe size in the US and UK. Similar trends were also observed in the US. In China, at least 24% of the population has a foot difference greater than 4 mm.

It seems that researchers do not agree on whether the left or right leg is usually larger than the other leg. For example, the Foot Care Center in Liberty Township, Ohio, reports that about 80% of Americans have a larger left foot than their right foot. City Chiropody and Podiatry clinic system in London stated that because the majority of the world’s population is right-handed, the left leg often exercises more and becomes a bit larger to keep the body balanced.

According to a 1983 study, although the left leg is often thought to be larger than the right leg, researchers found that the left and right legs were equally likely to be larger than the other leg. In contrast, a 2018 study found that the right leg is often longer than the left leg at a rate of 50.7% in women and 54.8% in men in the UK.

There are many factors that lead to size differences other than natural structure. For example, women can change the size of their feet during and after giving birth, according to Renne. They may experience ligamentous laxity syndrome, which causes their joints to have a wider range of motion than normal, and their legs may have a different size. Metatarsalgia also causes one or more toes on the foot to become shorter. In particular, in a syndrome called toe hypoplasia, the toes may develop poorly or incompletely.

Injuries can also change foot size, especially in childhood, when bones are still developing, according to the Foot Care Center. Wearing a cast for a long time can cause muscles to weaken and atrophy.