Lynn Haven, FL

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

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Recently, more attention has been paid to a common foot ailment called "Morton's Toe," or short first metatarsal bone. Much of this attention is due to the sports world, where people are always seeking ways to treat or avoid sports injuries, for example this posting found on "Hill Runners" website http://www.hillrunner.com/forums/index.php?topic=7116.0). This is especially the case when it comes to the relationship between sports and shoe wear. Running barefoot and minimal running shoes are recent trends fueled by the quest to alleviate any number of foot, heel, ankle and knee problems that impeded athletic performance. And so information on "Morton's Toe" is more readily available—yet, given how common the condition and how widespread its potential impact—it is still relatively obscure.

Dr. Burton S. Schuler, a podiatrist in Panama City, Florida, is one of the country's leading experts on Morton's Toe, and he has made great efforts to lift the veil of obscurity around thus condition and educate people about its physical effects. In Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts in the Foot http://whyyoureallyhurt.com), he argues that Morton's Toe throws your foot's natural balance off, causing overpronation, which may result in toe, foot, heel pain—and myofascial pain throughout the body. Schuler's research is based on the physicians Dr. Dudley J. Morton and Dr. Janet Travell—both who practiced in the mid twentieth century. Morton discussed a short first metatarsal bone's impact on the body, and Travell linked it to myofascial pain syndrome. Her research was so innovative that she was White House physician for Kennedy and Johnson. President Kennedy hailed her medical insight http://footcare4u.com/category/dr-janet-travell/).

In a recent review posted on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Why-You-Really-Hurt-Starts/product-reviews/0942664027/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending)  "Happy and lucky", who suffers from Morton's Toe, explained that when she read Schuler's book and used the toe pad he prescribes in all her shoes, she eliminated calluses and discomfort. How does the simple, homemade toe pad placed under the first toe work? Normally your weight is placed on by the big toe when you walk. With this condition, that weight is shifted to the second long toe, causing a link between the way you walk and bodily pain http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/mortons-toe-what-is-it/). The toe pad can correct this imbalance and eliminate any number of foot problems and bodily pain—as Happy and lucky's review suggests.

The research of Morton, Travell, and Schuler holds promise to those who have Morton's Toe--hence Schuler's proclamation that "it all starts in the foot." Schuler has practiced podiatry for more than thirty years and has seen the impact undiagnosed Morton's Toe can cause up close and personally. As amateur and professional athletes become more aware of the condition and how it impacts their performance, and as more people search for solutions to this nagging problem, the rest of the country is likely to express the same gratitude as this Amazon reviewer!

Michelle Matison, Ph.D.

Administrative Assistant

The Ambulatory Foot Clinic

Lynn Haven, FL

850-763-3333

Second Url: Morton's Toe