Is It a Pebble in Your Shoe or Is It a Neuroma?
Do you ever feel like there is a pebble in your shoe, or that your sock is folded under the ball of your foot? If you don’t find anything in your shoe, you may have Morton’s neuroma.
Morton’s neuroma is a painful condition that usually affects the area under your third and fourth toes. You won’t find a lump or any other outward sign, but you may experience:
A feeling that there is something in your shoe
Numbness or tingling in your toes
Burning pain that starts in the ball of your foot and may radiate to the toes
What’s happening? A neuroma is a benign enlargement or thickening of the tissue around a nerve. This condition may be a response to pressure, injury or irritation of the nerve.
You may be at risk of Morton’s neuroma if you wear high heels that jam your toes into a narrow space; participate in high-impact sports like running or jogging; have a foot deformity such as a bunion, hammertoe, flat feet or high arch.
Treating Morton’s Neuroma
After diagnosing a Morton’s neuroma, your podiatrist will develop a treatment plan based on the severity of your symptoms.
You may find relief simply by switching to lower-heeled shoes that have wider toe boxes.
Professional treatments may include:
Conservative methods such as a custom-fitted orthotic or shoe insert that is molded to fit your foot exactly. These can help reduce pressure on the nerve.
Steroid injections.
Decompression surgery where nerve pressure is relieved by cutting nearby ligaments and other structures.
Surgical removal of the nerve.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is also an excellent treatment option for many patients with neuroma pain. Shockwave therapy uses intense pulses of sound waves to break up the tissue and increase blood flow to the injured area.
Let Us Relieve Your Neuroma Pain
The foot specialists at PodiatryCare, PC and the Heel Pain Center have extensive experience in treating all aspects of foot problems. Our team of doctors which consists of Dr. Robert Marra, Dr. Thomas Johnson, Dr. Kristen Winters, Dr. Laura Vander Poel, and Dr. Ryan Donegan is dedicated to serving you with all of the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies. Many treatments and surgeries can be handled right in our offices. Please call us at (860) 741-3041 to make an appointment in one of our offices in Hartford County, conveniently located in Enfield, Windsor and South Windsor, CT.