Is it as if you’re stepping on a pebble, or maybe a hot stone? Do you have shooting or burning feelings in your foot’s ball? Then it’s most certainly Morton’s neuroma. Continue reading to learn more about this painful disease and what you can do to treat it.

 

What Exactly Is It?

Morton’s neuroma is characterized by swelling and thickening of tissue around nerves in the ball of the foot that carry sensations from the toes. This can cause a sharp, burning pain, similar to walking on a stone, stepping on a hot pebble, or having a bunched-up sock in your shoe. People may also experience numbness and tingling, which can spread to their toes.

 

Morton’s neuroma is a type of neuroma that arises between the third and fourth metatarsals (the long bones that connect the toes) and accounts for 80-85 percent of neuromas in the feet. It is up to 10 times more common in women than in men, most likely related to footwear choice, and is most common in middle-aged people.

 

What Causes It?

The most prevalent reason is footwear, whether it be high heels, tight, tapered, or badly fitted shoes. These shoes put too much pressure on the ball of the foot, causing nerve pain and a trapped nerve sensation. Another reason is high-impact sports such as jogging, especially while wearing runners that have lost their shock-absorbing characteristics. Bunions, hammer toes, high arches, “flat feet,” and being overweight all raise the risk of getting a neuroma.

 

What You Can Do To Assist

Change your shoes! High heels and tapered, tight shoes should be avoided. Choose shoes that are wide and spherical in shape, with lots of space across the ball of the foot and extra depth for added comfort. ASICS is a well-known company that produces athletic runners, and they recommend changing your runners every 450-550 kilometers.

 

Reduce your activity level – this is recommended for a few weeks. Reduce high-impact activities like jogging and dancing that put too much pressure on the feet.

 

What Professional Treatment Options Are There?

The symptoms may appear and disappear depending on the footwear. Conservative treatment approaches are frequently recommended first by healthcare professionals. Anti-inflammatories may be prescribed by your doctor/GP to minimize swelling and pain. They may order an X-ray to rule out a stress fracture or an ultrasound/MRI to diagnose a neuroma. Your doctor may also recommend you to a podiatrist, a specialist in the lower limbs. A podiatrist can evaluate and advise on footwear, as well as assess, diagnose, and treat this issue.

 

What Can A Podiatrist Do For You?

A podiatrist will examine your footwear, take a full history, and perform a squeeze test called a “mulder’s click,” which can evoke a click sensation and trigger pain, indicating the presence of a neuroma.

 

In the short term, padding and strapping taped to the feet or footbeds in shoes relieve nerve strain. It is a temporary measure used as a trial for insoles that lasts only a few days.

 

In the long run, orthotics/insoles. These are available for purchase off-the-shelf, or you may be prescribed a custom-made pair built specifically for your foot. Insoles realign the lower limbs and distribute weight more evenly throughout the foot. A metatarsal dome is a tear drop-shaped pad that is placed near the ball of the foot to relieve pressure from the neuroma when walking. Customized insoles are a very effective therapy choice for the majority of patients.

 

How Effective Is the Treatment?

Conservative therapy will benefit more than 80% of people. However, for the small number of people who continue to experience symptoms, steroid injections may be recommended. Some patients get pain relief from steroid injections, while others don’t because it only treats the symptom, not the cause. Pain relief is usually only brief, especially if the underlying cause of the condition stays unchanged, such as continuing to wear tight shoes.

 

Surgery may be required in some circumstances, although it may result in adverse effects such as persistent numbness in the affected toes.