Morton's neuroma is a painful condition that affects the ball of your foot, most commonly the area between your third and fourth toes. Morton's neuroma may feel as if you are standing on a pebble in your shoe or have a fold in your sock.
Morton's neuroma involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes. This can cause a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot. You may have stinging, burning or numbness in the affected toes.
High-heeled or tight shoes have been linked to the development of Morton's neuroma. Many people experience relief by switching to lower heeled shoes that are wider fitting.
Typically, there's no visible sign of this condition, such as a lump. Instead, you may experience the following symptoms:
- A feeling as if you're standing on a pebble in your shoe
- A burning pain in the ball of your foot that may radiate into your toes
- Tingling or numbness in your toes
- Removing your shoe and rubbing your foot often helps to relieve the pain
Diagnosis is usually made from a consultation with your Health Care Professional, involving a detailed history of the onset of symptoms, current pattern of symptoms and your current functional ability. This may involve looking at your walking and a review of your footwear, so it may be helpful to bring your most commonly worn shoes to your appointment.
An image/Ultrasound scan is generally not needed to confirm Morton's Neuroma. One may be performed if the Health Care Professional needs further information to finalise the diagnosis or if surgery is being considered.
The primary aim of treatment is to help manage your pain. This allows you to move more and help you return to normal activities sooner. Initial treatment therefore is aimed at pain control. This might involve pain medication, or the use of heat or cold treatments.
Once your pain is under control, working on the movement and strength of your ankle is what will help long term.
You can help to reduce pain, ease stiffness, strengthen your muscles and improve overall general fitness by keeping active. Below are some basic exercises specific to your ankle to get you started.
To treat Morton's neuroma you can also try:
- Changing your footwear (Avoid wearing shoes that are narrow, tight or high heels)
- Trying a shoe insert with a Metatarsal Dome Pad or a separate Metatarsal Dome Pad
It is normal to experience some discomfort when doing exercises, and individuals may start at different points. Pain should not increase excessively during or immediately after the activity. Discomfort should return to pre-activity levels 24-48 hours after the activity has finished.
The number (reps) and frequency (sets) of exercises suggested here are a guide, and should be performed to your personal tolerable pain levels. This means repetitions will vary between individuals and you should only go as far as is reasonably comfortable for you.
Alphabet exercise
Sit down with your legs extended or hanging off the table. Draw the capital letters of the alphabet with your ankle, accentuating all of the ranges of motion.
Towel scrunch
Start in a seated position. Spread a thin towel on the floor in front of you and place your foot on the end of the towel. Keep your heel on the floor and use your toes to try to pull the towel towards you.
Unless you have a serious injury or have sudden continuous severe pain, you can usually treat your foot pain without having to see your doctor. If after 2 weeks of treating yourself you feel the pain isn’t any better or is worsening, you should see a Health Care Professional
You should also see a Health Care Professional if you:
- Have pain that doesn’t show any signs of improvement, within a couple of weeks of self help
- Have pain that has rapidly deteriorated or suddenly worsened despite self help
- Have pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in your legs and feet
- Develop sudden stiffness in the ankle resulting in a complete loss of movement (also known as locking)
- Are noticing changes to your balance or walking pattern
- Are feeling clumsy or are falling more often
- Have a history of inflammatory arthritis, immuno-suppression, cancer, Tuberculosis (TB), drug abuse, AIDS or other infection
- Feel unwell, have a fever, or unexplained weight loss
- Are experiencing significant and regular changes to your usual sleeping pattern
- Have a history of recent injury (e.g. from a road traffic accident or a fall) or a history of ankle surgery
- Have a new and visible deformed or misshapen ankle
- Notice your ankle is giving way, causing you to fall
If you do not have any of the above, you may be able to effectively self-manage your condition