Cristo della Minerva by Michelangelo

Sid

Barefooters
Jan 1, 2011
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Michelangelo clearly knew what he was doing.
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miwhat he was doinghelangelo+statue+i.JPG
 
And gave him Morton's Toe to boot! Ha!
 
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Seriously though, and thinking about this...we know he studied the human foot, right? So he knows what a MT is. I wonder why he chose to add this abomination to this beautiful statue. I mean, he could have very easily sculpted the second toe to any length shorter than the first. sigh. Just wondering...
 
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Yikes! Thems some ugly toes! Hee.
 
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Seriously though, and thinking about this...we know he studied the human foot, right? So he knows what a MT is. I wonder why he chose to add this abomination to this beautiful statue. I mean, he could have very easily sculpted the second toe to any length shorter than the first. sigh. Just wondering...
I came across an article under copyright, which had no public link. The link below has a table from the article, which shows that the unshod had twice the number of metatarsus atavicus. Despite this, the full article also stated, "complaints referable to the fore part of the foot were nonexistent" in the unshod sample. Perhaps, Morton's toe is a normal variant which becomes pathological with use of footwear. I wonder if the hypermobility of the metatarsus mitigates the risk of pathology due to metatarsus atavicus in the unshod.
europepmc.org/articles/PMC1967238/pdf/brmedj02916-0087c.pdf
 
I came across an article under copyright, which had no public link. The link below has a table from the article, which shows that the unshod had twice the number of metatarsus atavicus. Despite this, the full article also stated, "complaints referable to the fore part of the foot were nonexistent" in the unshod sample. Perhaps, Morton's toe is a normal variant which becomes pathological with use of footwear. I wonder if the hypermobility of the metatarsus mitigates the risk of pathology due to metatarsus atavicus in the unshod.
europepmc.org/articles/PMC1967238/pdf/brmedj02916-0087c.pdf

Just need to clarify this for those reading: MN (Morton's Neuroma) and MT (Morton's Toe) are not related conditions. Perhaps the only commonality between them is having the "discoverer's" last name, although from two different men with the last name Morton, that is.

It's interesting that you hit upon this "theory," Sid, because it's the same thinking I have applied to Morton's Neuroma for years. I mean it's only common sense if people would think about it. Yet no doctors, studies, or articles that I can find make mention of this. (If you can find any, Sid, I would kiss your toes...well, not really. Hee.) Having narrowing spacing between the metatarsals (a normal variant as well, I'm sure) does not matter in barefoot communities because they don't wear footwear, and therefore, they don't develop MN (the pathology, end result). All studies on MN show the number one cause for it is the types of shoes we wear (narrow toe boxes and high heels). I have stated time and again that if those of us who suffer with MN had never worn shoes, yet stayed barefoot from birth, we would not be dealing with this dreaded condition.

And it's interesting, now, to apply this theory to those having MT. Just talking it out here... We have a very long thread here at the BRS called the Fellowship of the Morton's Toe, as you know. In it, you will find lots of folks who say that their MT doesn't bother them when they are shod (walking or running) but does bother them when they are barefoot. They need a toe "orthotic" or support to keep it straight and still, or they may try to tape it to the big toe; otherwise, they experience pain in various places around the forefoot because the second toe is bearing the load of the toe-off phase during the gait cycle. Perhaps those with MT who wear shoes are not troubled much by having MT because the shoe's forefoot "cage" supports and maintains it, and they continue to wear shoes hiding this fact? For the barefooters who have problems with their having MT, could this be because they too have not allowed this normal variant to function on its own and thereby stay strong? That once again, barefooting has exposed a defect not only hidden by shoes but caused by shoes?

Can you please share this info about the non-public, copyrighted link and the .PDF you found in the Studies forum? Better yet, do you know who I can write to to ask for permission to publish? Thanks.
 
I mean it's only common sense if people would think about it. Yet no doctors, studies, or articles that I can find make mention of this.
... Perhaps those with MT who wear shoes are not troubled much by having MT because the shoe's forefoot "cage" supports and maintains it, and they continue to wear shoes hiding this fact? For the barefooters who have problems with their having MT, could this be because they too have not allowed this normal variant to function on its own and thereby stay strong? That once again, barefooting has exposed a defect not only hidden by shoes but caused by shoes?
I've been impressed with Dr. James Stoxen's videos. He seems to have a good understanding of how the bones in human foot articulate. Perhaps, consider asking him his opinion on this?

Can you please share this info about the non-public, copyrighted link and the .PDF you found in the Studies forum? Better yet, do you know who I can write to to ask for permission to publish? Thanks.
It's unlikely that the publisher will give anyone permission to republish the articles. However, the publisher does take patient requests for their own individual use.
http://jbjs.org/patients.aspx

This is the article that I'm referring to.
http://jbjs.org/article.aspx?articleid=12972

You might also want to read about Morton's Toe from Dr. Dudley Morton, himself. It seems that his observations were made on the shod population.
http://jbjs.org/article.aspx?articleid=29548
 
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from Wikipedia (sorry, no more serious source so far) :

It was an idealized form in Greek sculpture, and this persisted as an aesthetic standard through Roman and Renaissance periods and later (the Statue of Liberty has toes of this proportion). There are also associations found within Celtic groups. The French call it commonly pied grec (just as the Italians call it piede greco), but sometimes pied ancestral or pied de Néanderthal.
 
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Thanks, Sid. Can you please share those links in the Studies forum, haphazard is fine.
 
From the PDF above:
The foot in its natural form is mobile and flexible without any of the complaints often encountered. When the foot becomes restricted by the wearing of stockings and shoes, its natural form becomes altered and fixed deformities develop, and with them symptoms.
I wonder if those who have problems with Morton's toe are more comfortable in shoes, because their feet have conformed to shoes and stiffened. If they were habitually unshod, perhaps their feet would be more flexible and capable of barefoot activity. One might think that a stiff foot benefits from a soft shoe for cushioning, whereas a flexible foot provides its own cushioning.

The table shows that several of the unshod in their small sample had Morton's toe, but all were asymptomatic. It would be interesting if someone conducted a survey of the habitually unshod to see if this holds true across a large population.

I wonder if shoddies who have stiff feet are more likely to get stress fractures while transitioning.

Once deformities take hold, it's understandable that people might feel more comfortable in the shoes to which their feet have been molded. As I understand, some women report feeling more comfortable in heels because their calf muscles have shortened.
 
From the PDF above: I wonder if those who have problems with Morton's toe are more comfortable in shoes, because their feet have conformed to shoes and stiffened. If they were habitually unshod, perhaps their feet would be more flexible and capable of barefoot activity. One might think that a stiff foot benefits from a soft shoe for cushioning, whereas a flexible foot provides its own cushioning.

The table shows that several of the unshod in their small sample had Morton's toe, but all were asymptomatic. It would be interesting if someone conducted a survey of the habitually unshod to see if this holds true across a large population.

I wonder if shoddies who have stiff feet are more likely to get stress fractures while transitioning.

Once deformities take hold, it's understandable that people might feel more comfortable in the shoes to which their feet have been molded. As I understand, some women report feeling more comfortable in heels because their calf muscles have shortened.

I believe this: I wonder if shoddies who have stiff feet are more likely to get stress fractures while transitioning.

And this: Once deformities take hold, it's understandable that people might feel more comfortable in the shoes to which their feet have been molded. As I understand, some women report feeling more comfortable in heels because their calf muscles have shortened.

Interesting, because I have this woman telling me that unshod populations don't have MT: The table shows that several of the unshod in their small sample had Morton's toe, but all were asymptomatic. It would be interesting if someone conducted a survey of the habitually unshod to see if this holds true across a large population.

I don't see how anyone can dispute that shoes that restrict the foot in any way can cause damage to the foot.
 
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And that's basically what the article is saying, as I took it, that as long as you have flexibility and dexterity then it doesn't matter if your second met is longer than your first.