Morton’s neuroma
A nerve in the sole that becomes irritated between two toes. It gives shooting pain, tingling or the feeling of something in the shoe.
Morton’s neuroma is the thickening and irritation of one of the nerves running between the metatarsal heads, nearly always between the third and fourth toes. What characterises it is not a dull ache but an electrical sensation: shooting pain, burning or tingling travelling towards the toes, often with the impression of a fold of sock or a small stone inside the shoe.
It worsens with narrow-toed footwear and with heels, because both compress that area and increase pressure on the nerve; it eases on taking the shoe off and massaging the forefoot. What we look for at the appointment is to reduce that compression: give the nerve room, redistribute pressure across the metatarsal heads, and take the offending footwear out of the equation.
What is done
- Precise location of the point that reproduces the symptoms.
- Telling mechanical pain apart from pain of nerve origin.
- Assessment of forefoot pressure and of the width of your footwear.
- Offloading of the area to separate the metatarsal heads.
- Insoles when that offloading needs to be maintained while walking.
Do you feel shooting pain or tingling between your toes in closed shoes?
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