== Celtic toe ==

Perhaps Urban Legend, the Celtic toe is a slang term for a condition where the second toe is longer than or equal to the length of the big toe (also known as the Hallux.) For centuries people have often wondered about the meaning behind why the second toe is longer or shorter than the big toe. The longer second toe, is apparently a dominant gentic trait. That being said, where there is genetic evidence, there may be a tie to genealogy. This curiosity about toe length and foot shape has perhaps given rise to the recent popularity of the term "Celtic toe", and the Celtic Toe Ring to adorn the second toe.

Podiatry and the Celtic Foot

Celtic People do tend to have a different shape of foot than Anglo or Saxon English, according to a June 1996 Article in Discover by Dr. Phyllis Jackson, a retired podiatrist. During WWII she noticed that people people of Celtic descent - Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and Cornish, have a different shape of foot than the Anglo-Saxon foot, and had problems fitting their feet into the last of the common shape of English shoes. "Traditional English Saxon feet tend to be broad and somewhat pointed - the toes form a steep angle from the first to the fifth." Dr. Phyllis Jackson has since used her skills in indentifiying the origins of exumed remains from early archaeological grave sites in the UK. Although not confirmed by peers, it does offer another method of determining the origin of the remains found at these sites, and has both Archeologist and Podiatrists alike taking a second look at peoples feet.


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Jackson, Phyllis. (1996). British feet - podiatrist/archaeologist Phyllis Jackson distinguishes Saxon feet from Celtic feet. Retrieved
June, 1996, from Discover: British feet - Brief Article.
Web site: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_n6_v17/ai_18289437

Morton's toe and Rothbart's Foot Structure

A common podiatry condition known as "Morton's toe" seems to plague the people of Celtic Descent. Evidence does support the claim that Celtic people need a different shoe last than the ones of Anglo Saxon descent. (A shoe last is the form on which a shoe is constructed - resulting in the inside shape of the shoe) Although a second toe larger than the first does not necessarily indicate Celtic ancestry, it is indicative of Morton's toe and the need for special shoes.

According to podiatrist doctrine, 50 years after Morton, Dr. Brian A. Rothbart, DPM, PhD, discovered that when the ankle is aligned correctly the big toe is slightly lifted and the Hallux is not weight bearing. For many people it doesn't even touch the ground. In order for the first metatarsal and the big toe to become weight bearing, they have to travel downward a slight amount. This is known as hypertonation and causes the ankle to rotate toward the ground.

People with Morton's toe and the Celtic Foot don't necessarily have a longer second metatarsal, rather they have a shorter first metatarsal. According to Dr. Jackson, the Celtic foot does not have an nice angle from the first to the fith toe. Rather than pointed, the Cetlic foot is rounded due to the shorter first metatarsal. This causes the second metatarsal to appear extended, and makes the Celtic foot more prone to hypertonation.

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Shoe last

See Also

Celtic

Celtic knot

Hallux

Morton's toe

Toe ring