Fellowship of the Morton's Toe

Ha!

Ha!
 
Sign me up for the fellowship

Sign me up for the fellowship as well. I'm glad I read this, I never realized that my odd shaped foot could cause more issues than just not quite fitting right into my KSOs.

BTW I always thought it was called a "Greek Toe."
 
Greek Toe.  I have not heard

Greek Toe. I have not heard that one. Yes, our long toes are a mess, aren't they. I sometimes wonder if I didn't have Morton's Toe if I would still have Morton's Neuroma. The two don't necessarily go hand-in-hand (or foot-in-foot), meaning you can have one without the other, but in my case, I have both. Bites.
 
What do you want your Viking

What do you want your Viking name to be?
 
I think Sweet's viking name

I think Sweet's viking name should be Greek Toe. Hee.
 
I'm glad to share any mojo

I'm glad to share any mojo from my own Viking name of Gkikas the Galloping Greek (toe). Have at! :)
 
Oh, that's right, Gkikas the

Oh, that's right, Gkikas the Galloping Greek. I forgot. Since it's okay with Gkikas then.
 
My Morton's toe is making me

My Morton's toe is making me very, very sad. I have developed metatarsalgia of the second metatarsal head on my left foot, to the point where I can't even *think* about running. After BFR for 2 years, I sprained/strained my right foot and was off of it for about 2 months. During this time, I think my gait changed and I put significant strain on my left foot, resulting in my present pain. I have made a metatarsal pad for myself which, while being pretty uncomfotable, has relieved the pain in the ball of my foot. However, it's not really getting any better. Damned short metatarsal!!!!
 
I know what you mean.  I have

I know what you mean. I have such long middle toes that they're always getting in my way and causing problems. Be patient. Stay off your feet, maybe longer than you like. You will heal.
 
Nyal will be along shortly to

Nyal will be along shortly to sire thee with a proper knight's name. He has dubbed each one of us this or that.
 
Wouldn't you know? I always

Wouldn't you know? I always misunderstood the self-test for MT, thinking it was toe length. After checking (and re-checking, and re-re-checking) I have a clear discrepancy in the length of 1st and 2nd metatarsal. guess which is longer...

I always wanted to be in a club!

In all seriousness, this greatly informs my ongoing injury/pain issue on the right foot and gives me a springboard for further discussion with a doctor. Thanks for steering me to this thread TJ!



do I get to learn the secret footshake now?
 
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
 
Lomad wrote:Wouldn't you

Lomad said:
Wouldn't you know? I always misunderstood the self-test for MT, thinking it was toe length. After checking (and re-checking, and re-re-checking) I have a clear discrepancy in the length of 1st and 2nd metatarsal. guess which is longer...

I always wanted to be in a club!

In all seriousness, this greatly informs my ongoing injury/pain issue on the right foot and gives me a springboard for further discussion with a doctor. Thanks for steering me to this thread TJ!



do I get to learn the secret footshake now?

Welcome to the Fellowship!



I dubbeth thee, Lomad the Nomad.



Heavenly choir.
 
Am I in this fellowship? I

Am I in this fellowship? I have weird little callusses that don't want to go away between my big toe and the next toe, on the forefoot plantar skin. Oddly, they've been getting a little bit better, or so it seems, since I started bf and minimal running. I had assumed it was from having bunions and years of getting my forefoot crammed into shoes.

I've had no problems running bf on pavement, nor asphalt in specific, but it's been a while (winter wuss here) and the longest I've gone bf on pavement was about 4.5 miles. When I started bf running (September), it was all on pavement, with no foot pain.

Maybe the springtime will tell. Running in minimal shoes, I'm almost always on pavement, if that makes a difference.

No other symptoms, but I do have weirdly shaped feet and toes, so I ought to get some sort of special recognition or club membership for it I guess.
 
Nyal wrote:Lomad

Nyal said:
Lomad said:
Wouldn't you know? I always misunderstood the self-test for MT, thinking it was toe length. After checking (and re-checking, and re-re-checking) I have a clear discrepancy in the length of 1st and 2nd metatarsal. guess which is longer...

I always wanted to be in a club!

In all seriousness, this greatly informs my ongoing injury/pain issue on the right foot and gives me a springboard for further discussion with a doctor. Thanks for steering me to this thread TJ!



do I get to learn the secret footshake now?

Welcome to the Fellowship!



I dubbeth thee, Lomad the Nomad.



Heavenly choir.



A more perfect name could not be chosen. I've moved (to different cities) almost as many times in my life (as I am years old (38)!
 
Hello Dr. Schuler,While a

Hello Dr. Schuler,

While a pad under my 1st met definitely helps, I am hesistant to use an orthotic for the long term without some hope that I will one day not need it. Will the daily use of a toe pad strengthen my feet so that I can eventually get by without one or is this a rest-of-my-life kind of solution?
 
Ev, I'll email Dr. Burt and

Ev, I'll email Dr. Burt and have him respond to you here. Hold tight.
 
Think I might be a member

Think I might be a member too. First saw this in the trigger point therapy handbook, where the picture of the foot with callous areas marked look spookily like how my feet felt after running in vff's.

Checking the metty heads is a bit inconclusive, it's not a really obvious difference to be honest. Big gap between first and second toes along with callous under second metty head and a tendency to walk with splayed feet would seem to confirm it though.

Feels like I have a stone in my shoes, even when I'm not wearing any!
 
Do you have any webbing of

Do you have any webbing of your feet between the 2nd and 3rd toes, Pilot? I read in Dr. Burt's book that those of use with MT also have webbing there. I do, and I always thought that was weird about my feet when I looked at others' feet. Other indications, according to Dr. Burt, are a hypermobile first big toe (which is difficult for folks to determine on their own), and then also the shorter first metty. Bend your toes downward, note where the white of the knuckles are, and take a marker and mark those white areas. Then examine to see if you think you have MT.
 
OK, so think these might

OK, so think these might help:

rrpa42.jpg


shows large gap between first and secon toe

2yudc15.jpg


Shows the MT heads with the toes bent down, for clarity (as they really are not that easy to see) I've marked the position with a red dot. Pretty sure this is conclusive now.



The question is, what can I do about the developing sore callous under my second metty head?