A Morton’s extension is an add-on to the anterior medial aspect of a foot orthotic with the aim to limit dorsiflexion for the first metatarsal phalangeal joint. It was first described by Dr. Dudley Joy Morton MD (1884-1960) as a pad used when the first metatarsal is shorter, which he termed ‘metatarsus atavicus‘ and subsequently become known as ‘Mortons Toe‘. He described the pad to compensate for this in a 1927 paper in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and again in his key book, The Human Foot in 1935.
Dr Morton was granted a patent for this on the 1st March 1932 (filed in 20th June 1927).
Copy of DJ Morton’s Patent (4 pages embedded):
Morton subsequently got another patent in 1952 for an ‘Orthopedic Insole’ that incorporated the extension under the first metatarsal pad:
Related Topics:
Morton’s Extension
Dudley J Morton
Mortons Toe
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