Morton's toe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Morton's toe is the common term for the second toe (second from innermost) extending further than the great toe (Hallux). In reality, this is not entirely true, as Morton's toe is typically due to a lengthened second metatarsal. This promotes an anterior position of the second metatarsal-phalangeal (MTP) joint in relation to the Hallux.

Photo of Morton's toe.
Photo of Morton's toe.

The name derives from American orthopaedic surgeon Dudley Joy Morton (1884-1960), who originally described it as part of Morton's triad (a.k.a Morton's syndrome or Morton's foot syndrome): a congenital short first metatarsal bone, a hypermobile first metatarsal segment, and calluses under the second and third metatarsals.

Although commonly described as a disorder, it is sufficiently common to be considered a normal variant of foot shape (its prevalence varies with different populations, but around 10% of feet worldwide have this form). The main symptom experienced due to Morton's toe is discomfort and callusing of the second metatarsal head. This is because the first metatarsal head is intended to bear the majority of a person's body weight during the propulsive phases of gait. However, these forces are transferred to the second (smaller) metatarsal head because of its anterior positioning. In shoe-wearing cultures it can be problematic: for instance, in causing nail problems from wearing shoes with a profile that doesn't accommodate the longer second toe.

It has a long association with disputed anthropological and ethnic interpretations. Morton called it Metatarsus atavicus, considering it an atavism recalling prehuman grasping toes. In statuary and shoe fitting it has been called the Greek foot (as opposed to the Egyptian foot, where the great toe is longer). It was an idealised 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). The French call it pied ancestral or pied de Néanderthal[1].

Confusion has arisen from the term also sometimes being used for a different condition, Morton's neuroma, a term coined by Thomas George Morton (1835-1903) for a syndrome involving pain caused by neuroma between the third and fourth toes.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Zur Historie der Civinini-Durlacher-Neuropathie, genannt Morton Metatarsalgie, Kuhn H, Gerdes-Kuhn R and Küster H.-H, Fuss & Sprunggelenk, Volume 1, Number 4 / November, 2003 [1]
Languages