Morton’s Toe| Expert explains what is it, and what causes it

 “Morton’s Toe”, or Long Second Toe means  having either one or both of two abnormal, inherited conditions of the first metatarsal bone of the foot (see next paragraphy) . Morton’s Toe was first written about in the 1920s by Dr. Dudley J. Morton. Its importance in causing pain throughout the body was taught by Dr. Janet Travell who was President Kennedy’s and Johnson’s White House physician.

What is the first metatarsal bone ?

The first metatarsal bone is a finger-like bone to which the big toe attaches to. It extents about halfway down your foot toward your heel. There are five metatarsal bones one that attaches to each toe bone. They are inside your foot so you really cannot see them. The only way to truly see the metatarsal bones is with an x-ray of the foot.

Morton’s Toe,  Long Second Toe , can be caused by one or both of two problems that can effect the first metatarsal bone.

1. 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.

2. The second condition that can cause a Morton’s Toe 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! The Long Second Toe, or Short First metatarsal bone:

 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 , Long Second 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, Long Second 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. 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 like the picture above. They will have a flap of excess skin that sort of looks like a “bat wing” in between the second and third toes. If you do have this webbing of the toes, it is a pretty good tip off that you do have a short metatarsal bone or you are part duck. Check to see if Mom or Dad, or anyone else in the family has this also.

Do You Have Hypermobility of the First Metatarsal Bone:

In a 1928 paper in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, and in Chapter 23 of his book The Human Foot, Dr. Dudley J. Morton father of the Morton’s Toe, Long Second Toe, writes about, hypermobility of the first metatarsal bone, the other problems associated with Morton’s Toe. Hypermobility of the First Metatarsal Bone may not be as famous as its “partner in pain,” the short first metatarsal bone, but in Morton’s own words “is responsible for the widest range of foot problems”. Hypermobility refers to the excessive motion present at the first metatarsal bone. In the normal foot, there would be very little motion at this area. But in a foot with hypermobility of the first metatarsal bone, there is an excessive amount of motion that takes place.

According to Dr. Morton, the reason for the excessive motion is due to an abnormal laxity (looseness) of the plantar ligament that runs under the metatarsal bone. This laxity is either inherited or acquired in childhood. Because the ligament is abnormally loose, the first metatarsal bone is not as stable as it should be, resulting in many foot problems. Unlike the short first metatarsal bone, Long Second Toe, there is no simple reliable way that you can determine on your own if you have hypermobility of the first metatarsal bone. But because it is treated the same way as the short first metatarsal bone, with the Toe Pad, discussed in greater detail in the new book Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foot

It is not that important for you to know for sure if you have hypermobility or not.

What counts is are you any feeling better once you start to treat yourself for your Morton’s Toe? Dr. Morton recognized that besides having either a short first metatarsal bone, Long Second Toe, or hypermobility of that bone, there were many other actions, stresses, strains, and forces that affected the way your foot works and that can cause and contribute to foot problems. At no time or place did Dr. Morton ever state that having either of those conditions was a guarantee of having a foot problem or any other problem. In fact, the only thing he ever stated was that by having the short first metatarsal bone or the hypermobility of the first metatarsal bone may lead to having foot problems. In addition, it is very important that you need to be aware of  the  Aches and Pains a Morton’s Toe can cause, of your feet and body. Morton’s Toe cannot only cause foot problems but as you will see, it can cause pains all over your body.

 

Dr. Burton S. Schuler,  Foot Doctor, Podiatrist of Panama City Fl Dr. Burton S. Schuler is a foot doctor, podiatrist, (foot specialist) of Panama City, Fl and the director of the Ambulatory Foot Clinics Podiatric Pain Management Center. He has felt for over 30 years that a very common, but painful, medical condition known as a Morton’s Toe, (Long Second Toe) is the real forgotten reason for knee pain, back pain, hip pain, leg pains, foot pain; and many other problems in millions of people world wide. Dr Schuler says: “People you know suffer everyday with chronic aches and pains from head to toe and don’t know why. Many of them have lost all hope, and believe they will have to live with these pains for the rest of their lives. This is not the case anymore because the Morton’s Toe (Long Second Toe) may be the answer. It is good proven medicine, but most physicians have never heard of it ” Schuler also says “A Morton’s Toe is an abnormality of one bone in the foot (first metatarsal bone) that could be the real unidentified reason (the “medical missing link”) for people’s unending torments and suffering all over there body. A Morton’s Toe can cause leg cramps, (night cramps), fibromyalgia, arthritis, and numerous other problems. Knowing about the Morton’s Toe is important because it offer the public well established medical information about why millions of people suffer everyday with aches and pains , and offers new hope to get rid of problems they believed they would have to live with forever. “. In the 1920’s thru 1950’s Dr. Dudley J. Morton who taught at the Yale and Columbia Medical Schools, and who was considered this country leading authority on the human foot, stated that a problem with one bone in your foot, (Morton’s Toe) was the major reason for most foot problems. Building on his work Dr. Janet Travell, White House physician to President John F. Kennedy, and President Lyndon B. Johnson, and who was also Professor Emeritus of Medicine at George Washington University wrote that Morton’s Toe could also cause pain all over your body. She felt that the Morton’s Toe was so important that at the age of 89, she made a video to teach other doctors about the body wide problems the Morton’s Toe can cause. In his book, Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foot, Dr. Burton S. Schuler, tells the reader in a simple and easy way what a Morton’s Toe is, if they have a Morton’s Toe, (Long Second Toe) and how to treat it themselves for about $2-3.00. Along the way, he shows them the excellent medicine the Morton’s Toe is based on and the story of the two very famous physicians who wrote and taught about it for seven decades.

 

Dr. Burton S. Schuler, is a foot doctor and podiatrist leading authority on the Morton’s Toe Long Second Toe and it associated problems. He is the author of the leading book about The Morton’s Toe, Long Second Toe Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In the Foot The book is disturbed national by the Cardinal Publishing Group. It will be translated to Greek this Year. Dr. Schuler, graduated from the N. Y. College of Podiatric Medicine in 1975 at the age of twenty-four, and has been in private practice ever since. In 1982, he published his first book, The Agony of De-Feet: A Podiatrist Guide to Foot Care. During his thirty-five year professional career, he has written for Collier’s Encyclopedia and various podiatric journals and publications. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, First in Women, and many other publications. Dr. Schuler has appeared on hundreds of radio shows both here and aboard. He is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management, and the National Board of Podiatric Examiners. Dr. Schuler is a certified a wound specialist from the American Academy of Wound Management. His professional and civic accomplishments have earned his inclusion in the 1999-2002 Who’s Who in America (Marquis). Dr. Burton S. Schuler, Foot Doctor, Podiatrist of Panama City Fl Dr. Burton S. Schuler is a foot doctor, podiatrist, (foot specialist) of Panama City, Fl and the director of the Ambulatory Foot Clinics Podiatric Pain Management Center. He has felt for over 30 years that a very common, but painful, medical condition known as a Morton’s Toe, (Long Second Toe) is the real forgotten reason for knee pain, back pain, hip pain, leg pains, foot pain; and many other problems in millions of people world wide. Dr Schuler says: “People you know suffer everyday with chronic aches and pains from head to toe and don’t know why. Many of them have lost all hope, and believe they will have to live with these pains for the rest of their lives. This is not the case anymore because the Morton’s Toe (Long Second Toe) may be the answer. It is good proven medicine, but most physicians have never heard of it ” Schuler also says “A Morton’s Toe is an abnormality of one bone in the foot (first metatarsal bone) that could be the real unidentified reason (the “medical missing link”) for people’s unending torments and suffering all over there body. A Morton’s Toe can cause leg cramps, (night cramps), fibromyalgia, arthritis, and numerous other problems. Knowing about the Morton’s Toe is important because it offer the public well established medical information about why millions of people suffer everyday with aches and pains , and offers new hope to get rid of problems they believed they would have to live with forever. “. In the 1920’s thru 1950’s Dr. Dudley J. Morton who taught at the Yale and Columbia Medical Schools, and who was considered this country leading authority on the human foot, stated that a problem with one bone in your foot, (Morton’s Toe) was the major reason for most foot problems. Building on his work Dr. Janet Travell, White House physician to President John F. Kennedy, and President Lyndon B. Johnson, and who was also Professor Emeritus of Medicine at George Washington University wrote that Morton’s Toe could also cause pain all over your body. She felt that the Morton’s Toe was so important that at the age of 89, she made a video to teach other doctors about the body wide problems the Morton’s Toe can cause. In his book, Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foot, Dr. Burton S. Schuler, tells the reader in a simple and easy way what a Morton’s Toe is, if they have a Morton’s Toe, (Long Second Toe) and how to treat it themselves for about $2-3.00. Along the way, he shows them the excellent medicine the Morton’s Toe is based on and the story of the two very famous physicians who wrote and taught about it for seven decades. Dr. Burton S. Schuler, is a foot doctor and podiatrist leading authority on the Morton’s Toe Long Second Toe and it associated problems. He is the author of the leading book about The Morton’s Toe, Long Second Toe Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In the Foot The book is disturbed national by the Cardinal Publishing Group. It will be translated to Greek this Year. Dr. Schuler, graduated from the N. Y. College of Podiatric Medicine in 1975 at the age of twenty-four, and has been in private practice ever since. In 1982, he published his first book, The Agony of De-Feet: A Podiatrist Guide to Foot Care. During his thirty-five year professional career, he has written for Collier’s Encyclopedia and various podiatric journals and publications. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, First in Women, and many other publications. Dr. Schuler has appeared on hundreds of radio shows both here and aboard. He is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management, and the National Board of Podiatric Examiners. Dr. Schuler is a certified a wound specialist from the American Academy of Wound Management. His professional and civic accomplishments have earned his inclusion in the 1999-2002 Who’s Who in America (Marquis). Patients ask me all the time did I get these bunions because I wore the wrong shoe. The answer is not really. A bunion is a bump that forms over a the head of the first metatarsal bone. In most cases, the big toe joint, also known as the 1st metatarsal joint, also is enlarged due to arthritis. The toe also may be pushed toward the second toe At one time or another in their lives, most women will wear some type of shoes that are wrong for them. But only some of them will develop bunions. This is because it is not the shoe causing the bunion (shoes can make it a lot worst) but the foot you were born with. Our old friend the Morton’s Toe is the real reason in many cases. Hypermobility of the first metatarsal bone is one of the things that can cause a Morton’s Toe. If you have hypermobility, it will force the first metatarsal head (bunion bone) to move abnormally. It will cause the front part of the foot or forefoot to have excess tension on a muscle called the Adductor Hallucis. . This irregular tension pulls the Adductor Hallucis tendon away from the second metatarsal head. This is the start of a bunion. The good news is the toe pad can stop this abnormal movement, and save you from having foot surgery.