Working with Mortons Neuroma
Overview
Morton's neuroma is a painful condition that affects the ball of your foot, most commonly the area between your third and fourth toes. Morton's neuroma may feel as if you are standing on a pebble in your shoe or on a fold in your sock. Morton's neuroma involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes. This can cause a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot. Your toes also may sting, burn or feel numb. High-heeled shoes have been linked to the development of Morton's neuroma. Many people experience relief by switching to lower heeled shoes with wider toe boxes. Sometimes corticosteroid injections or surgery may be necessary.
Causes
It's not always clear what causes Morton's neuroma, but several things seem to aggravate it. These include other foot-related problems and wearing restrictive footwear. It's thought that Morton's neuroma may be caused by the toe bones (metatarsal bones) pressing against the nerve when the gap between the bones is narrow. This causes the nerve and surrounding tissue to thicken.
Symptoms
It usually occurs in between the 3rd and 4th toes (about 65% of cases) as is pictured to the right. It is less commonly found in the 2nd webspace, and rarely at all in the 1st or 4th webspaces. You can also experience pins and needles and/or numbness as a result of the nerve being affected. The condition tends to occur predominantly in middle aged females.
Diagnosis
In some cases your doctor will be able to feel the Morton's as a swelling in the middle of your foot. However they may also suggest an X-ray or a blood test - this is normally to rule our other causes of the pain such as arthritis. The most accurate way to diagnose Morton?s itself is with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound.
Non Surgical Treatment
Treaments may include wearing wider shoes to reduce the squeezing force on the foot. Adding a specially made padding to shoes to offload the pressure on the ball of the foot (called a metatarsal dome) Addressing the foot and lower limb biomechanics. This involves looking at foot stability and if needed prescribing an orthotic device to correct your foot position. Anesthetic & Cortisone injections. This is done when the above treatments are insufficient. The trauma is sometimes so great that conservative treatment cannot control the inflammation or cause of the pain. A series of injections are performed to control the inflammation or to temporarily settle the nerve. An ultrasound and cortisone injection can be prescribed by your podiatrist.
Surgical Treatment
Operative treatment of Morton?s neuroma should be entertained only after failure of non-operative management. Standard operative treatment involves identifying the nerve and cutting (resecting) it proximal to the point where it is irritated/injured. This is usually done through an incision on the top (dorsal) aspect of the foot, although an incision on the sole (plantar) aspect of the foot can be used. Some physicians will attempt to treat Morton?s neuroma by releasing the intermetatarsal ligament, and freeing the nerve of local scar tissue. This may also be beneficial.
Morton's neuroma is a painful condition that affects the ball of your foot, most commonly the area between your third and fourth toes. Morton's neuroma may feel as if you are standing on a pebble in your shoe or on a fold in your sock. Morton's neuroma involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes. This can cause a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot. Your toes also may sting, burn or feel numb. High-heeled shoes have been linked to the development of Morton's neuroma. Many people experience relief by switching to lower heeled shoes with wider toe boxes. Sometimes corticosteroid injections or surgery may be necessary.Causes
It's not always clear what causes Morton's neuroma, but several things seem to aggravate it. These include other foot-related problems and wearing restrictive footwear. It's thought that Morton's neuroma may be caused by the toe bones (metatarsal bones) pressing against the nerve when the gap between the bones is narrow. This causes the nerve and surrounding tissue to thicken.
Symptoms
It usually occurs in between the 3rd and 4th toes (about 65% of cases) as is pictured to the right. It is less commonly found in the 2nd webspace, and rarely at all in the 1st or 4th webspaces. You can also experience pins and needles and/or numbness as a result of the nerve being affected. The condition tends to occur predominantly in middle aged females.
Diagnosis
In some cases your doctor will be able to feel the Morton's as a swelling in the middle of your foot. However they may also suggest an X-ray or a blood test - this is normally to rule our other causes of the pain such as arthritis. The most accurate way to diagnose Morton?s itself is with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound.
Non Surgical Treatment
Treaments may include wearing wider shoes to reduce the squeezing force on the foot. Adding a specially made padding to shoes to offload the pressure on the ball of the foot (called a metatarsal dome) Addressing the foot and lower limb biomechanics. This involves looking at foot stability and if needed prescribing an orthotic device to correct your foot position. Anesthetic & Cortisone injections. This is done when the above treatments are insufficient. The trauma is sometimes so great that conservative treatment cannot control the inflammation or cause of the pain. A series of injections are performed to control the inflammation or to temporarily settle the nerve. An ultrasound and cortisone injection can be prescribed by your podiatrist.
Surgical Treatment
Operative treatment of Morton?s neuroma should be entertained only after failure of non-operative management. Standard operative treatment involves identifying the nerve and cutting (resecting) it proximal to the point where it is irritated/injured. This is usually done through an incision on the top (dorsal) aspect of the foot, although an incision on the sole (plantar) aspect of the foot can be used. Some physicians will attempt to treat Morton?s neuroma by releasing the intermetatarsal ligament, and freeing the nerve of local scar tissue. This may also be beneficial.
