The Greek foot: meaning and pain

What is the significance of the Greek foot ?

Greek foot is when the second toe seems longer than the big toe. It's very common: some people just have this foot shape and others don't.

The Greek foot is aptly named, as 46% of participants in a study conducted throughout Greece had this morphological feature, which affects only 5% of the world's population.

In some people, the Greek foot can increase the risk of callus formation on the sole of the foot and the appearance of certain other pains. The Anglo-Saxons call this type of foot Morton toe, but it has nothing to do with Morton syndrome.

In the case of bunion, the foot can "become" Greek even though it was a Roman or Egyptian foot before the deformity occurred.

The different foot shapes: Egyptian foot, Roman foot or Greek foot

About the Greek foot

If you want to know if you have this foot shape, it's very simple. Go barefoot and look down. If your second toe is longer than your first toe, you have it.

It is often hereditary, like most of your skeletal characteristics.

The metatarsals are the long bones that connect your toes to the back of your foot. They curve upward to form the arch.

In people with Greek feet, the first metatarsal is shorter than the second, and this is what makes your second toe seem longer than the first.

A shorter first metatarsal can put more weight on the thinner second metatarsal.

Greek foot pain

This pain is related to the way the weight is distributed on the foot, especially on the first and second metatarsals.

The pain is often located at the base of the first two metatarsals, i.e. at the beginning of the arch of the foot towards the front of the foot. It can also be located at the second metatarsal head.

Preventing Greek foot pain

Here are some tips to help relieve any pain :

• Wear comfortable, well-fitting, supportive shoes. We recommend wearing shoes with a wide, roomy forefoot.
• Wear custom-made orthopedic insoles with arch support.
• See a podiatrist/pedicurist on a regular basis to remove the horn generated by the hyper-appeals. Although hyperkeratosis is not necessarily bad, as they form to protect our feet from repeated pressure, it is important to prevent a callus from becoming too thick or dry. In addition, poor pressure distribution can lead to corns and calluses.
• In the case of hyperpressure under the second metatarsal head, you can consider the use of silicone pads.

Often, choosing a comfortable pair of shoes is enough to relieve the pain.

What shoes for Greek feet ?

The Greek foot can support pointed shoes if they are wide enough and long enough. A shoe that is too short with a longer second toe can lead to toe clawing. Although the Greek foot shape can work well with pointed shoes, high heels are not recommended as they will push the feet forward.

Author : Philippe Vesin - Pedorthist