Thanks to u/Ffvarus, I finally have a method that works and takes 10 min to apply!
First, read this content: Re-Examining Morton’s Toe as a Pain Disorder.
Here are some extracts so people can find this post:
> The two features used to describe Morton’s toe, described by Dr. Dudley J. Morton in the 1920s, were:
> - short first metatarsal bone relative to the second
> - dorsal hypermobility of the first metatarsal joint force the forefoot into pronation during ambulation
> Morton’s toe structure, more aptly termed Morton’s foot structure, is the prevalent foot anatomy in humans and results in hyperpronation of the forefoot. Standard custom orthotics do not correct the forefoot pronation and may even worsen the condition.
> This common failure of evolution to accommodate walking on two feet can lead to hallux valgus, bunions, hammer toes, and neuromas.
> Eventually, the mechanical dysfunction of the feet caused by hyperpronation results in genu valgum, tension in the low back and hip muscles (spinal erectors, quadratus lumborum, gluteus medius, piriformis) and even to pain and dysfunction in neck and jaw muscles.
In addition:
- Morton toe correspond to the "Greek toe"
- the incomplete use of your forefoot can be detected by looking at the callus on your forefoot or where the dirt accumulates when you walk barefoot ([example)(https://imgur.com/a/g52v2), or the wearing of your sole/socks (example).
I have been using 8 layers of duct tape to make Morton pads/wedges/shims on the insole of my minimalist shoes. The results were similar to what I got with specific insoles I bought or more complicated homemade solutions!
Among all the things I tried with the pads, I recently tried the Poliquin step ups and they make the improvement very obvious, so I am sharing this:
- without the pad (barefoot) I cannot load my big toe and keep the pressure on the outside of my foot. To do so I create extra (outside) tension in my knee and hips. This makes it hard to use internal rotation. I can reduce this effect with enough focus, and using my hand for balance.
- With the pad (in a minimalist shoe)… well it just works! Without any focus whatsoever, I can get leverage from my big toe and feel my knee and hip "melt" into internal rotation as I go down. The knee flexion feels more centered but weaker, but I think it is because I am not relying on extra tension anymore and this exposes a weakness. While this exercise is supposed to emphasis the vastus medialis muscle, so far I feel it much more in the tissues on the outside that are now released…
I will keep you updated on how well this solution lasts. I think the most likely is that the material compresses and I need to add 1-2 layers after like a month. But even if I have to start all over, it takes 10min to make so meh! :-)
Note: I did try and see podiatrists, but they just focused on "correcting" my flatten arch, while not adjusting how I can better apply pressure underneath my big toe. The arch correction actually elevated even more my big toe. I asked two of them about the Morton toe condition: they did not know about it…