Morton's foot question?

nature runner

Barefooters
Jun 13, 2010
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I ran across this on ken bob's web page from someone's post. http://www.triggerpoint.com/morton.htm It describes exactly what my feet are doing, the calluses are in the middle on the "c" area and on the outside of the foot, identical to mine. The article only explains what to do as a shoe wearer. What could you do to remedy this as a barefoot runner? Any ideas from you pro runners'?
 
Sadly, this does nothing for

Sadly, this does nothing for the neuromas in my feet.

Nyal has created a toe orthotic for his Morton's Toe problem. Here's one thread I could find on it: http://www.barefootrunners.org/build2/forum-topic/mortons-toe-problems; I couldn't find the one with the actual picture of his home-made orthotic though. Maybe he will point us in the right direction should he come upon your thread.
 
I have had so many obstacles

I have had so many obstacles since starting bfr! This one is a huge bummer. I hate the thought of going back to running in shoes! But, if using orthotics in shoes is what it takes to run pain and injury free on pavement, then oh well. I still like running bf on gravel and trails. Nothing like it, only the pavement hurts my feet on the callused bottoms.
 
My 2nd toe is longer than my

My 2nd toe is longer than my first toe. And I don't experience any pain or discomfort there. Though the first spot to blister if I run through something wet is at the base of the 2nd toe. Provided I stay out of wet stuff barefoot though, I am fine. Maybe you have other form issues that are causing you this pain and discomfort. If you have overly large callouses, you could try a ped egg to file them down and rebuild them based on your barefoot running.
 
 Ah, Morton and his f'ing

Ah, Morton and his f'ing toe. (Sorry, Nyal. I had to change it. -TJ)





Yes, that's the appropriate term.





IMO, this is the hardest thing to overcome as you transition to BFR, if you have been cursed by an unjust god with a shortened 1st metatarsal. There are things you can do to alleviate the pain and symptoms. Teej mentioned the BF orthotic I invented a couple months ago. This does seem to help with some of the issues. I basically took a patch of jeans, folded it onto itself and had the wife sew it around an elastic strap on top and on bottom. It holds in place but is really only good for asphalt or concrete.


A better solution is to realize that we are 'special' BF runners and need to learn to run lighter than our lucky brethren and sisters with normal metties. You can correct the form by concentrating on these THREE points especially. In order of importance:


1. Do NOT roll back onto your forefoot. Lift the foot as parallel as you can and set it as parallel as you can. We of the MT brotherhood are MIDFOOT strikers only.


2. Cadence is more important for us. We have to keep it higher than the others, at LEAST 190 a minute, but we need to be able to get up to 200, too. 180? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!


3. Center of Gravity is important, very necessary. Think SPEED, any timid steps will brake our movement and inflame our poor patches. Gravel is a great teacher to show you what is needed.


A bonus? Why sure!


4. BEND THOSE DAMN KNEES! I want to see you squatin' boy.


These four steps will take care of phase ONE of the problems associated with our toes. Oh, and forget that crap about trigger points. Hippy junk.


I am now entering phase two myself. This phase only exist with those poor people specially gifted with a peroneal tendonosis injury to recover from, leaving one foot weaker than the other. I have been hitting almost totally on the left half of my left foot and now that happy little 2nd metty is acting like it's fractured.


I am about ready to put shoes back on.
 
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Nyal, Thanks for the

Nyal,



Thanks for the advice, I feel the same about my right foot. It's the one giving me the most greif. I tire out at 170 cadence, it's going to take alot of work to get up to 200, shew lol! I ran in xc flats today to give my metties a break and I actually ran 4 miles longest run so far with no issues. I put a piece of bicycle inner tube under my ball of foot. I usually get ankle pains from shod, but not today. I did however get a knee pain, which I also get from shod running. I know it's form related, I just had to get a good run in without alot of issues. I hate that I can't run like a normal person. It just makes my goal that much harder to reach getting through these hurdles. Again, thank you for the advice. I am going to try and work on it. I am hoping my vibrams come back soon so I can get them on and do a little better. I love barefooting it, but hate the bone sticking through my foot kinda pain. Sucks really bad!
 
nature runner

nature runner said:
Nyal,



Thanks for the advice, I feel the same about my right foot. It's the one giving me the most greif. I tire out at 170 cadence, it's going to take alot of work to get up to 200, shew lol! I ran in xc flats today to give my metties a break and I actually ran 4 miles longest run so far with no issues. I put a piece of bicycle inner tube under my ball of foot. I usually get ankle pains from shod, but not today. I did however get a knee pain, which I also get from shod running. I know it's form related, I just had to get a good run in without alot of issues. I hate that I can't run like a normal person. It just makes my goal that much harder to reach getting through these hurdles. Again, thank you for the advice. I am going to try and work on it. I am hoping my vibrams come back soon so I can get them on and do a little better. I love barefooting it, but hate the bone sticking through my foot kinda pain. Sucks really bad!
My brother, we will emerge from the long, cold night. We will prevail. For cadence, do not step faster, step shorter. A great exercise to show what I mean is to run with normal form except you place one foot in front of the other, with less than an inch to spare. Then go as fast as you can while tracing a circle with the feet.

Sigh.
 
Maybe a tad OT, but here I go

Maybe a tad OT, but here I go anyway.

The fact that the term "Morton's-Toe" or "Morton's-Foot" exists, suggests to me that this condition is descriptive of some type of abnormality. Agree?

However, based on my personal survey of feet while out and about (mostly looking at flip-flop clad people)... most people that I have seen have this condition to some extent. Even I have it... albiet slight.

Heck... even the model used for the BRS logo is inflicted. If it's so bad... why does everyone seem to have it?

...not sayin'...

...just sayin'.
 
I run through it mostly, it

I run through it mostly, it just bothers me alot. I was hoping that when it callused it would go away, but that's not the case. I am still running, just running barefoot on gravel and trails and not asphalt or any kind of pavement barefoot. I am running with saucony shay's on pavement til i can figure out how to remedy this problem.
 
Nyal wrote:I am about ready

Nyal said:
I am about ready to put shoes back on.

MY EARS! MY EARS! Say it isn't so!
 
Once again to clear up what

Once again to clear up what it means to have Morton's Toe...

You can have a longer second toe (longer than the first toe) and not have Morton's Toe. Morton's Toe is signified by having a longer second metatarsal (longer than the first metatarsal). Just by looking isn't going to tell you if someone has it or not. You have to bend the toes back and see where the knuckles on the metatarsals line up to tell.

And yes, our mascot has a second longer toe. So do I, so it's only fitting.
 
Nyal, have you been checked

Nyal, have you been checked for neuromas?
 
No problem, Low.  We can all

No problem, Low. We can all be accused of being ignorant of something.
 
Definitely!  Neuromas are

Definitely! Neuromas are basically nerves that have suffered damage, normally from being compressed by the neighboring metatarsals. Signs of neuromas can be different for each person. Some experience this while others experience that. I never had ball of foot pain (not until AFTER the cryosurgery to correct it, that is), but many, many people complain of ball of foot pain. Go figure.

Some of the signs:

Numbness

Burning pain

Searing needle pain

Ball of foot pain

Sensations of broken toes

Get yourself checked, and demand an ultrasound or MRI. MRIs are expensive, so make sure your insurance covers it. An ultrasound shouldn't take too much to have done. Make sure you have a doctor willing to use one.

If it is determined that you have a neuroma/s, let me know, and I will email you my whole sorted, sad story. It will save you time, money, aggravation, and most importantly, pain.
 
 Well, one toe went partially

Well, one toe went partially numb and right now two feel like they are hurt somehow. I think I would rather ignore it, I mean, whats the point of knowing? No real pain, the toes are hurt from an asphalt run with my Morton's toe and an already weak foot.



I have no insurance, but that doesn't matter as it is illegal here anyhow and all the medical care is 'free'.