If you feel a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot or it feels like you’re standing on a pebble, you may have Morton’s neuroma. This condition can make walking, exercising or wearing certain shoes uncomfortable. Without treatment, it can get more painful.
At Banner Health, our foot and ankle specialists can diagnose your foot pain and provide treatments that relieve pressure on the nerve so you can move more comfortably.
Morton’s neuroma is a thickening of tissue around a nerve in the ball of your foot that causes pain, tingling or numbness. It most often occurs between the bones that lead to your third and fourth toes, but it can also occur between the second and third toes.
Morton’s neuroma (aka interdigital neuritis) develops when an interdigital (between the toes) nerve becomes irritated, and thickened due to compression over time. It’s most common in women ages 30 to 60. It is not cancerous.
Because it is caused by nerve compression, any footwear or activity that squeezes your toes together or puts extra pressure on the ball of your foot can trigger symptoms or make them worse.
These factors may make Morton’s neuroma more likely:
Morton’s neuroma symptoms can include:
See a health care provider for:
Early treatment can help relieve nerve irritation and prevent symptoms from getting worse. Morton’s neuroma usually does not go away on its own.
To diagnose Morton’s neuroma, your provider may:
Many cases get better without surgery, especially when treatment starts early.
These steps may help:
Corticosteroid injections can reduce inflammation, but too many injections can break down the fat pad that cushions your step or cause thinning and whitening of the skin
Most people don’t need surgery for Morton’s neuroma but if the other options don’t help your provider may recommend it. Surgical options include:
Your surgeon may access the nerve from the top or bottom of your foot. You may be able to walk in a stiff soled post-op shoe or boot soon after surgery, but you will need to avoid high impact activities until your incision heals.
You’re likely to improve with non-surgical care, especially if you start treatment early. Recovery time varies depending on the treatment you need.
You should be able to return to your daily activities after treatment. But you may need to avoid wearing tight shoes or doing high-impact activities to help prevent Morton’s neuroma from returning. Surgery usually helps, but you may have permanent numbness in the space between your toes afterward.
These steps may help you prevent the condition:
It often feels like a burning pain in the ball of the foot or like you’re standing on a small pebble.
Mild symptoms may get better with footwear changes but for ongoing irritation you’ll need treatment.
Treatment may include shoe changes, orthotics, injections or surgery depending on the severity of your condition.
Yes but modifying your activity and wearing supportive footwear can help reduce your symptoms.