Though many of us are unaware, mismatched feet is an issue that affects the majority of the population to some degree or another; studies have shown, even, that as many as 1/3 of Americans have a difference of half a size between their feet. For most, however, their foot length difference is minor, but for those needing mismatched shoes, the hassles are immense. Among other issues, building mismatched footwear collections is unduly expensive and often just plain difficult. Moreover, these challenges pale in comparison to those faced by people for whom foot length difference is the least of their concerns to address.



Aside from being born with congenital conditions such as clubfoot or simply having a large foot length difference, other possible causes for mismatched feet are polio, complications arising from diabetes, foot injury, and others. In the case of foot injury, the actual foot length difference might result from foot surgery affecting the skeletal structure as often as the injury itself, and for diabetics, feet can require special care for the sake of the patient's health. Severe enough cases of clubfoot necessitate foot surgery, and those living with it might need special shoes (rather than mismatched footwear) made either during rehabilitation or for their entire lives even after foot surgery.

Until now, mismatched footwear was very difficult to nearly impossible to find thru standard avenues. Resources on mismatched shoes are now readily available via the Internet and directly in conjunction with information sources on foot length difference and foot injury/recovery.

Websites specializing in odd shoes such as OddShoeFinder.com make it easier for people to find shoes that fit. This shoe finder site helps link people with odd shoes with those who need odd shoes.

Lastly, organizations such as polio survivors? groups have made it easier for them to find footwear. Many cities have associations specific to them designed to help people needing accommodations due to more serious causes of mismatched feet, from stores offering mismatched shoes to medical programs that can assist.