Heads Up on Your Body

Morton’s Foot

As a pilates instructor, I see a lot of feet. Feet come in all shapes, sizes, toe nail polish colors, tattoos, toe rings, low arches, high arches…. the list goes on. Feet also come in different levels of cleanliness, but that’s topic for a future post!

Another thing that separates one foot from another is toe length. Most people have five toes on each foot, gradually decreasing in size from the big toe all the way down to the littlest toe. However there are some people, and its not very unusual, who’s second toe is longer than their big toe.

Interestingly, longer second toe length is known as a foot disorder called Morton’s Toe, or Morton’s Foot. While its not uncommon to see this disorder, it can actually be painful and lead to other problems all the way up the leg.

Fortunately, there are many pilates exercises that can help correct the effects of Morton’s Foot.

Even if you look down at your foot and don’t see the second toe longer than the big toe, you still may have Morton’s Foot. What defines Morton’s Foot is not truly toe length, but actually second metatarsal length, or the length of one of the small toe bones inside the foot.

There are ways to tell if you have Morton’s foot other than toe length. You may develop calluses on the bottom of the feet. You may also develop flat feet or your feet may frequently pronate, (when the ankle rolls toward the inside of the foot).

You may also develop knee, hip, and low back problems as pronating the foot creates an imbalance all the way up the leg.

Doing pilates on the equipment with a certified pilates instructor can help retrain the ankles and feet to move properly, and realign the joints of the legs. Footwork on the reformer, Leg Springs on the Tower, and Leg Pumps on the Wunda Chair are all great ways to learn how to distribute weight properly and realign your body.

You’re teacher will most likely not only focus on proper alignment of your feet. Because pilates is all about working from your core, you’ll learn how to use your core to direct your legs and feet into proper alignment.

In addition to pilates, pain from Morton’s Foot can also be treated with orthotics. If you’re in pain and suspect Morton’s Foot, I suggest trying a combination of pilates to correct your alignment and orthotics to alleviate the pain.

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