Morton's Neuroma

Are you experiencing numbness, tingling, or burning around the toes and webbing of the feet? Do you have what feels like a pebble or stone in your shoe when you are walking?

  If these symptoms sound familiar to you, you may have a condition called a Morton’s neuroma also known as perineural fibrosis.

  A Morton's neuroma is thickening of the sheath that sits around the third common digital nerve. Although the other digital nerves can be affected, the third common digital nerve is most commonly affected. This condition occurs when the nerve experiences shearing and compressive forces between the metatarsals and the deep transverse metatarsal ligament. 

Excessive pronation leads to hypermobility of the ball of the foot. This hypermobility causes movement of the metatarsals which in turn aggravate the common digital nerve leading to the thickening of the sheath sitting around the nerve.

Some treatment options include the use of metatarsal domes to help open the space that the neuroma occupies, limiting the aggravation of the neuroma by the surrounding structures.  

Another option includes footwear changes to limit compression of the forefoot.

Orthotic therapy is another option as it will help alter the unhelpful gait pattern leading to aggravation of the nerve. Orthotic therapy typically serves as a long-term option to prevent recurrence of pain associated with the neuroma.

If these symptoms sound familiar to you, do not hesitate to book with Ettalong podiatry for a consult!