Morton’s Neuroma and the Morton’s Toe
The Story of Two Different Dr. Morton’s
The Neuroma of Dr. Thomas G. Morton – What is a Neuroma?
A neuroma of the foot, (often called Morton’s Neuroma) is an abnormal thickening or swelling of the nerve that runs on the bottom of the foot between the metatarsal bones. This thickening or swelling of the nerve is caused by an irritation to the nerve that takes place over a period of time. This irritation is caused by excessive pressure, motion or trauma to the front part of the foot resulting in shooting and burning pains into the toes or ball of the foot.
A neuroma is a swollen nerve most commonly caused by the 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone (heads) choking the nerve.
Morton’s Neuroma was first written about in the medical journals by Dr. Thomas George Morton in 1875. It is highly unlikely that Dr. Dudley J. Morton ever met Dr. Thomas Morton because Thomas died in 1903, when Dudley Morton was just starting medical school. They were not related. However Morton’s Toe, (Long Second Toe) and Morton’s Neuroma do have a great deal in common, as you will see. In my opinion, the reason this irritation starts is due to a Morton’s Toe.
As I wrote about in my 1982 book, The Agony Of De-Feet, concerning neuroma: “This painful foot condition (Neuroma)is due to a choking off of the nerves that run through the foot. The nerves are choked by the metatarsal bones, which are being improperly squeezed together due to an abnormal motion in the foot, generally (due to) heredity.”
A neuroma is a swollen nerve most commonly caused by the 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone (heads) choking the nerve.I did not realize that over 25 years ago, I was giving my (then) readers the exact description of how a Morton’s Toe (Long Second Toe) could cause a neuroma. The improper squeezing of the medial plantar nerve by the metatarsal bones as described above can be caused by any of the lesser metatarsal bones, but most often by the third and fourth bones.
This opinion is not new. In his 1935 book, The Human Foot, Dr. Dudley J. Morton explained how a Neuroma can occur due to failures of the first metatarsal bone (Morton’s Toe). To learn more about Neuromas, just click on Neuroma-FootCare4u.
