Morton's Neuroma: Self-Care and New Treatment Options

Morton’s neuroma is one of the most common foot disorders. In fact, one in three people develops it during their life.

This condition occurs when there is inflammation of the nerve that leads from the ball of the foot to between the third and fourth toes.

Symptoms of Morton’s neuroma are commonly caused by frequent irritation, pressure, or injury to the nerve, which can cause extra fibrous tissue to form. Common symptoms of this condition are:

• Pain that feels like a pinched nerve in your foot— specifically near the ball of your foot.
• You feel like you’re standing on a pebble.
• Stinging, burning, or numbness on the bottom of the foot near the base of the affected toes.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, we’re here to provide you with Morton’s neuroma self-care exercises and actions you can take to help get you back on your feet.

Morton’s Neuroma Self-Care

If you’ve been diagnosed with this foot disorder by a podiatrist, the first self-care step you should take is to identify and remove any potential causes.

Here are some common causes and how you can use Morton’s neuroma exercises to relieve pain.

Tight-Fitting Shoes

Tight-fitting and high-heeled shoes have been linked to the development of Morton’s neuroma. In fact, 80% of sufferers are women who likely had improper and tight-fitting footwear as the “sole” cause for their nerve irritation.

If you wear high-heeled shoes, consider switching to a pair with shorter heels. It’s also best to wear high-heeled shoes less often to help prevent a pinched nerve in your foot.

Additionally, ensure your shoes have the right space in the toe area. Toes that are too compressed can cause or aggravate existing symptoms. For example, even wearing socks that are too small can lead to nerve irritation.

Poor Foot Mobility

In many cases, sufferers have existing weakness in the foot and ankle muscles.

If you have flat feet, high arches, bunions, or hammer toes, your toes joints may have instability, which can lead to the onset of Morton’s neuroma.

Stretching the connective tissue in the foot takes stress off of your neuroma and can also improve the mobility and strength of your foot and ankle muscles. You can safely do this by performing the following stretches for Morton’s neuroma:

• Calf stretching, like the standing calf stretch exercise.
• Plantar fasciitis stretching, such as toe bends.
• Ball rolling for the bottom part of your foot.

New Treatments for Morton’s Neuroma

For most people, self-care exercises or changes in footwear are enough to relieve or stop flare-ups for this condition.

However, if self-care treatment options don’t alleviate the symptoms, there are new treatments available for Morton’s neuroma, such as shockwave therapy.

Shockwave therapy.is a non-surgical and non-invasive treatment option that has an 85% success rate. By targeting areas with high-intensity pressure waves, shockwave therapy accelerates the body’s natural healing process. It achieves this by inducing micro trauma to the targeted area, which stimulates the metabolism to enhance blood circulation. This attracts blood vessels and nutrients to the affected area for faster recovery.

At Foot & Ankle Group, we use the Zimmer machine to administer extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT).

Explore The Best Foot Disorder Treatments for You

Because neuroma can grow or worsen with time, it’s crucial to have your foot examined at the first suspicion of a pinched nerve in your foot. A trained podiatrist can get the true diagnosis by taking an X-ray and offering a proper treatment regimen for the severity of your neuroma’s size, location, and pain threshold.

At Foot & Ankle Group, we believe that surgery should be a last resort for our patients.Our podiatrists stand ready to help you with Morton’s neuroma treatments and any other foot and ankle conditions you may have. Schedule a visit at one of our SWFL locations today.