Feel like a "stone" or pebble under your foot?
Do you have numbness or burning in your toes?
It COULD be a Neuroma..........................but what even is that?
The inter digital nerves run between each of the long bones in our feet – called the metatarsals. A nerve passes in the space between these bones and anything that “squashes” that nerve can lead to compression and irritation of the nerve and its accompanying sheath.
Imagine what a tight, narrow pair of shoes worn for 12 hours does to these poor nerves? Sustained compression and irritation of these nerves leads to thickening and scarring. This is what we call a Morton’s Neuroma.
Often seen in runners and high heel shoe wearers (8-10 x more likely to occur in females!), this is a very common and often painful condition characterized by burning under the feet and toes. A common report from patients is a sensation of standing on a marble or stone.
The first step to in any condition such as this, is to have the diagnosis confirmed professionally. A clinical examination can usually rule out other diagnoses and often an ultrasound or MRI will be ordered to confirm the clinical suspicion. After an accurate diagnosis, the most important first step (pun intended) is to remove the compression on the feet.
Here is a list of steps to take:
- Avoid tight, narrow shoes
- Massage the under surface of the foot
- Massage gently between the metatarsals to create space
- Use toe spacers - Flamingo Feet gently spread the toes apart, further reducing nerve compression and giving much needed breathing room for the nerves
- Strengthen the muscles in the feet - there is evidence linking neuroma with foot weakness
What if this fails?
These more conservative approaches are usually enough to improve pain and function, however should these fail there is moderate evidence for more invasive interventions, including cortisone injection, radio frequency denervation (burning the nerve) and finally difficult cases sometimes go on to surgery.
What do I do next?
Most importantly...TAKE ACTION ....Neuromas typically worsen with time, waiting for it to go away is rarely the best choice.
Just 2-3 mins of massage each day can make a profound impact and wearing toe spacers often relieves symptoms within days.
If YOU have any of these symptoms, here is a special code giving you 10% off Flamingo Feet to start your pain relieving journey. Use the code: MORTONS10 at checkout.
Find Flamingo Feet here:
https://freestylefeet.com.au/products/flamingo-feet-silicone-toe-activators
Finally, I have recorded an entire series of videos on YouTube to show you how you can fix this yourself at home. Relieve pain, spread the toes and strengthen the foot.
Take a look at our channel here: https://youtu.be/EaayILUb7N0
Your feet (and your nerves) will thank you!
Andrew Wynd
B.Physio, M.Physio (sports) MACP
Mortons Neuroma diagram courtesy of S.Bhimji MD