What Is Morton’s Neuroma?
When a nerve is subject to constant pressure, the protective tissue that sheathes it thickens. Morton’s neuroma occurs when this process affects the digital nerve in your foot.
What Causes Morton’s Neuroma?
Morton’s neuroma can develop when you overwork your digital nerve. Common causes of the foot condition include:
- Wearing high heels
- Wearing tight shoes or shoes with a narrow toe box
- Doing sports that involve constant repeated flexion of the ball of the foot, such as running
What Are The Symptoms Of Morton’s Neuroma?
If you have Morton’s Neuroma, you may experience the following symptoms:
- A burning sensation between the toes when standing or walking
- The feeling of a pebble stuck under the ball of your foot
- Numbness in the toes
While it is not usually possible to feel the thick casing that forms around the nerve, the neuroma makes daily activities such as walking extremely uncomfortable.
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Should I Be Worried About Morton’s Neuroma?
This condition is not life-threatening. However, it does not go away on its own. Long-term complications include nerve damage and permanent loss of sensation in the toes.
How Can I Treat Morton’s Neuroma?
Treatments for Morton’s Neuroma are centered on relieving foot pain and recovering the nerve. These include:
- Ice on the affected area to reduce inflammation
- Shoe inserts to reduce the pressure on the nerve
- Anti-inflammatory medications and steroid injections to reduce nerve inflammation
Surgery is also a viable solution if the foot condition does not respond well to conservative treatment options. An orthopedic surgeon makes a small incision on the top of the foot to remove the nerve affected by the neuroma.
A more recent treatment for Morton’s Neuroma is cryotherapy. Extreme cold is released on the neuroma through a cryo-needle, destroying the nerve’s thick casing. The main benefit of this technique is that it leaves the nerve intact, which allows the patient to regain normal sensation of their foot relatively quickly.
Get Your Morton’s Neuroma Checked Out
If you are experiencing the symptoms of this foot condition for more than 3 days, see a podiatrist immediately. Morton’s neuroma could cause loss of sensation in your foot permanently, affecting your ability to fully engage in many activities.
Fortunately, Morton’s neuroma is not difficult to treat. Conservative options often do the job and by slightly altering your lifestyle with measures such as wearing more comfortable shoes, you can usually ensure it never comes back. In certain cases, surgery and cryotherapy can be considered as well.
At To Healthy Feet Podiatry, our award-winning podiatrists offer the gamut of solutions to treat your Morton’s neuroma, including quick, painless, and minimally invasive cryotherapy. If you want relieft from your Morton’s neuroma, visit our Downtown or Midtown Manhattan offices, or call or text us anytime at (917) 398-3668.
FAQs
How does surgery for Morton’s Neuroma work?
There are 2 types of surgery for Morton’s Neuroma. The first saves the nerve, and the second removes it entirely. Saving the nerve usually entails fewer complications; removing the nerve altogether should only be reserved for the most severe cases.
Both surgeries take around 30 minutes.
What is the recovery time for cryotherapy?
Patients who undergo cryotherapy to treat Morton’s neuroma usually take 3 days to recover and can drive in 6.
How much do treatments for Morton’s neuroma cost?
If you are not covered by insurance, you can expect to spend less than $500 for conservative treatments. Cryotherapy and surgery cost at least $3,000 and $7,000 respectively.
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