You may seen plenty of people who have feet in which the second toe is longer than the big toe. This is sometimes referred to as Morton's syndrome foot ( named after Dr Dudley J Morton in the 1930s and is in fact fairly common. So what causes this and how can it be treated and is it preventable?

* Causes

For once we can desist from blaming a foot condition on ill-fitting shoes. Instead we need to look towards genetic factors. You cannot always tell just by looking that you have Morton’s foot: it’s not that obvious in some people. Your doctor would know by looking at an x ray. In fact, its not that the second toe is extra long more that the first metatarsal bone that the big toe is attached to is short.

* Symptoms

Morton’s foot causes pain to develop in the ball of your foot, such as in a condition called second metatarsal phalangeal inflammation, in which the base of the metatarsal becomes inflamed and painful. Calluses can develop under the second toe, and the other toes can become hammertoes with corns on top.

Normally, as you are walking, your big toe will be the first to reach where you are going. With Morton`s foot however, it is the second toe that hits first. It suffers more ligament disruption and tends to bang into things. It is actually also not as strong as the big toe.

When you run and walk, you are supposed to push off with your big toe, but because the metatarsal is shorter in this case. It cannot perform its role as well as it should, subsequently the second toe has to bear some of the weight. This then causes a shift of weight which leads to leg, knee, hip and spinal misalignment difficulties.

* Treatment

Its not actually the short first toe that receives treatment – instead it’s the resulting problems that require attention: corns, calluses, hammertoes and also metatarsal pain. These will necessitate specific and appropriate treatment as befits the condition.

* Prevention

As Morton’s foot can be described as a gift from nature, you cannot prevent it as you can other foot afflictions. The key factor instead is to help prevent the secondary problems from occurring. Foot specialists advise wearing a stiff soled shoe that’s stiff in the forefoot to cut down on motion. A cross trainer or court shoe works well. Be sure not to wear a running shoe, as it will be too soft and flexible in the toe box.

A foot specialist may also be able to create a custom soft orthotic for you that will raise the head of the first metatarsal and provide more forefoot control. This also assists with any misalignment problem you may be experiencing.