I just spoke to TJ on the
I just spoke to TJ on the phone and she asked me to post part of my book Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foot, that explains what a Morton's Toe is. She was very surprised to learn it is not just the the short 1st metatarsal bone but also something clled hypermobilty of the bone
Well here it is, any questions let me know
Chapter One
For the purpose of this book, and to make it as easy as possible for you to under stand, “Morton’s Toe” will mean having either one or both of two abnormal, inherited conditions of the first metatarsal bone of the foot.
[*]The first abnormal condition, and the most noted one, that can cause Morton’s Toe is where your first metatarsal bone is shorter than your second metatarsal bone.[*] The second condition is when your first metatarsal bone is not as stable as it should be, and as a result, has too much motion. This is known as “Hypermobility of the First Metatarsal Bone.”
Do You Have a Short First Metatarsal Bone?
Look down at your feet. Socks off please! If your second toe seems longer, (and I mean even just a hair longer) than your first toe, you may have a short first metatarsal bone.
The above photograph show a classic Morton’s Toe caused by a short first metatarsal bone. Note how the big toe is shorter than the second toe. Morton’s Toe is normally not this noticeable. Most of the time in a Morton’s Toe the big toe will appear to be only a little shorter than the second toe or just about the same length as the second toe.
Another way to check to see if you have a short first metatarsal bone is to hold your first and second toes down. Right behind the spot where the toes attach to the foot, you will see bumps pushing up from the top of your foot. These bumps are the heads of the first and second metatarsal bones. Using a pen, lipstick, or marker, draw a line where the bumps end (flat area) and meet the top of the foot. This spot is the very end of both of the heads of the first and second metatarsal bones. Look at both lines. If the line of the second metatarsal head is farther down your foot toward your toes than the first metatarsal head, even just a very little, then you probably have a short first metatarsal bone.
PICTURE TO FOLLOW
Sometimes it is not necessary to draw a line on top of the foot because the relationship of the metatarsal heads can easily be seen. If this is the case, you can see without difficulty that the second metatarsal head is farther down the top of the foot than the first metatarsal head.
Frequently, people with short first metatarsal bones will also have a “webbing” between their second and third toes.
www.FootCare4U.com, ALSO SEE THE DR. MORTON PART AND Dr. Janet Travell
Dr. Burton S. Schuler
Panama City, FL