Question
Dear Dr. Andrew,
My name is Bassel Bawji and I am a young professional playing overseas for the first year. And as you know I do have tough daily workouts to be in top shape and compete at the highest level possible. Anyways, along the road, I have one little riddle about my body I would like to figure! I happen to have pretty high arches, and they are causing me some drawbacks in my game. First of all I am 6'8 and I wear size 13 shoes, which I think is relatively small for my size and weight(230pounds). Number two my foot toes seem to be shorter than my big-foot toe, is that normal and good for balance for jumping/landing? Third I am very athletic player, and can jump pretty high, on the other hand, I always have to work extra hard on my "lateral" speed and I exert 100% effort so I can keep up on my feet. Could that be because of my arched feet? And if yes what can I do for a good releif cas you know lateral speed is extremely important for defense and without it I can lose valuable playing time. I did do custom orthotics made specially for my feet, but left them at home when I didn't feel comfortable in Kobe 5 shoes, which is sophisticated shoe I found to be very interesting.
Anyways I hope I am not bugging you with all that information and questions, but this is very important for my carreer and I will be very thankful if you can help me wit that matter.
                                            Thanks Again Doctor,
                                                  Fahed

Answer
Glad you wrote!  You mentioned that you abandoned your custom orthotics which can be devastating for someone your size.  You need to have the balance and control that an orthotic provides, to redistribute the weight and improve efficiency.  That will help you run and play more efficiently.  It will also help to prevent injuries such as a stress fracture.

It's fairly normal to have a longer 2nd digit, but that's even more reason to balance your feet, to ensure your 2nd metatarsal bone doesn't get too much pressure and develop a stress fracture.

Good luck with your career!  Stay healthy!
All the best,
Andrew Schneider, DPM

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