Morton's Toe (Second toe longer than the first) and Five Fingers
Can you wear Vibram Five Fingers if you have Morton's Toe -- a condition where your second toe is longer than your big toe? It is possible given your case isn't too extreme.
See the update to the original post below!
Mike writes in with this question:
I'd like to give VFF a try, but my first toe is fully one-quarter inch longer than my big toe. Can VFF be ordered to accommodate such a thing, also known as Morton's toe/syndrome?
Wikipedia describes Morton's toe as:
[T]he common term for the second toe (second from innermost) extending farther than the Hallux (big toe). Morton's Toe is typically due to a lengthened second metatarsal. This promotes an anterior position of the second metatarsal-phalangeal (MTP) joint in relation to the Hallux.
"Long toe," another name for Morton's Toe, apparently affects some 10% of the general population, enough to warrant it to be considered just a normal foot variant and not a foot disorder.
At present, Vibram does not offer a Morton's Toe variant for those with this foot variant. Depending on the difference in toe lengths, a larger size pair of Five Fingers may be enough to accomodate the discrepancy; however, your mileage may vary. This makes ordering your Five Fingers online a fairly risky gamble.
At least one person has requested that Vibram make a Morton's Toe VFF (See @robbycochran's tweet about it). Furthermore, as some anecdotal proof that Morton's Toe can still work with VFFs, Gerry, a runner/forum member at runnersworld.com who says his second toe is a full half inch longer than his big toe, notes that he runs some 12 miles a week in his Vibrams.
All of this is anecdotal and inconclusive, unfortunately. Does anyone out there know more about Morton's Toe and VFFs? If so, please comment below and tell us what you know!
Robby Cochran got back to me on Vibram's response to his request. Apparently, Vibram's CEO has Morton's Toe, and their recommendation is to measure foot length by going to the longest toe, which would be the second toe in the case of someone with Morton's. Thanks Robby!
Finally, if you're brave, you can mod your Vibram Five Fingers to accommodate Morton's Toe by lengthening the second toe.
