Morton's toe

How it works

The big toe sits on the first metatarsal, a long bone inside the foot. The second toe sits on the second metatarsal. In Morton’s toe the first metatarsal is shorter than the second¹. The toes themselves can be normal length, but the second toe starts further forward, so it looks longer. Doctors check the bones on an X-ray rather than the toes.

The trait is inherited, though the pattern is not simple¹. Reports of how common it is range from 3% to 22% of people¹. One survey in Nigeria found it in about 66% of participants¹. Different studies measure the toes in different ways, which explains much of the spread.

With a shorter first metatarsal, more of the body’s weight passes through the second metatarsal when you walk. Most people never notice. Some get pain under the ball of the foot, called metatarsalgia, or a callus under the second toe². A wider toe box in shoes and a small pad under the arch usually help¹.

Try it

1. Take off your socks and stand with your weight spread evenly.
2. Look down at your feet. If the second toe reaches further forward than the big toe, you have the shape.
3. Now look at the base of the toes, where they join the foot. In Morton’s toe the crease at the base of the big toe sits further back than the crease at the base of the second toe.
4. Check whether the shape is the same on both feet. It usually is.

History and culture

The shape is named after Dudley Joy Morton, an American orthopaedic surgeon who described it in the 1920s¹. Greek and Roman sculptors gave their statues a longer second toe, which is why the shape is also called the Greek foot¹. The Statue of Liberty has it too¹.