Metatarsal heads and parabola skeletal
Beginning at the forefoot, the metatarsal heads may be identified by gripping the toes and plantarflexing them. This maneuver will cause the metatarsal heads to become prominent dorsally. The same maneuver may be performed by gripping and plantarflexing a single toe in order to isolate an individual metatarsal head.
After identifying the head of each metatarsal, you can trace the length of its shaft by running your finger from the head to the proximal flare at each metatarsal base. Note the differences in thickness and length of each metatarsal shaft as well as noting any variations in the metatarsal parabola. Following a normal parabola, the second metatarsal should be the longest and the first metatarsal the shortest. The second metatarsal should also be the most distally projecting metatarsal and the 5th metatarsal should be the most proximally located. Bear in mind that variances in the metatarsal parabola may predispose to the development of pathology in individuals such as stress reactions, stress fractures, osteochondroses, hallux limitus and hallux rigidus.