Morton’s Toe the Most Important Condition you Never Knew About
Everything that I write about in this article is based on the lifetime work of two important physicians. One was www.whyyoureallyhurt.com Dr. Dudley J. Morton and Dr. Janet Travell was President Kennedy’s White House doctor. I will write more these doctors in another article but for now allow me to introduce you to the Morton’s Toe.
The Morton’s Toe t means having either one or both of two abnormal, inherited conditions of the first metatarsal bone of the foot.
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 is when your first metatarsal bone is not as stable as it should be, and as a result, it has too much motion. Because of this excess motion, it can cause pains all over your body. This abnormal motion of the first metatarsal bone 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.
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 length of the metatarsal heads easily can 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. 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 good tip off that you do have a short metatarsal bone and probably have a Morton’s Toe.
Do You Have Hypermobility of the First Metatarsal Bone? Unlike the short first metatarsal bone, there is no simple reliable way that you can determine on your own if you have hypermobility of the first metatarsal bone.
Why is having a Morton’s Toe Important, or Pain from Head to Toe
I have been treating Morton’s Toe for over thirty years. Moreover, what I do know for sure is that it can be the missed reason for the following aches, and pains not only of the feet, but also of the whole body.
back pain
hip pain knee pain
leg pain
plantar fasciitis
calf pain
fibromyalgia
arthritis
corns and calluses
bunions
fallen arches
ankle pain
heel pain
arch pain
weak ankles
hammer toes
tired feet (all over)
neuromas
burning feet
shooting pains in the toes
stress and march fractures
night cramps (restless leg syndrome)
temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ)
diabetic foot ulcers
Millions of people suffer every day, with these torments and do not know why. I believe that in many cases the Morton’s Toe is the explanation for this WHY, and the reason for aches and pains not only in their back, knee, and hip but also in alot other places in their body. Look for more articles about the Morton’s Toe in the weeks to come
Dr. Burton S. Schuler is a leading authority on the Morton’s Toe and it associated problems. His new book about the Morton’s Toe Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foott was published in April 2009 and became #1 for books about foot problems on Amazon. He is in private practice at the Ambulatory Foot Clinic-Podiatric Pain Management Center, of Panama City Fl (850-763-3333). He graduated from the N. Y. College of Podiatric Medicine in 1975 at the age of twenty-four. In 1982, he published his first book, The Agony of De-Feet: A Podiatrist Guide to Foot Care. During his third of a century career, he has written for Collier’s Encyclopedia and various podiatric journals and publications; has been interviewed by The New York Times, First in Women, and other publications. Dr. Schuler has appeared on dozens of radio and television programs 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 certified as a wound specialist from the American Academy of Wound Management








